Leonardo Bonucci explains why he rejected a transfer to Manchester United

He would walk straight into the United team.

Had things worked out differently, Leonardo Bonucci might have been wearing the red of Manchester United on Tuesday night, not the black and white stripes of Juventus.

He returned to Juve in the summer after a year away at AC Milan but, ahead of their Champions League clash at Old Trafford, has revealed he could have been playing his football in Manchester had things worked out differently.

As well as holding talks with Manchester City about the possibility of a move to the Etihad two years ago, the Italian international has confirmed in an interview with the Telegraph that United also made an offer for him in the summer.

“Basically there have been some possibilities both with Manchester City and with Manchester United,” he explains.

“With Manchester City when I received that offer I actually talked to the club, I talked to Juventus and we decided that it was good for me to stay and to keep on winning with Juventus.

“And this year when I was told there was a possibility to go back home, to come back to Juventus, I just stopped listening to any other offers and I decided to come back here.”