Garay confirms Moyes ended interest.
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Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay has confirmed that the reason his proposed £18m move to Manchester United didn’t go ahead this summer was because new manager David Moyes didn’t want him, the Daily Mail reports.
Former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had been keeping a close watch on the former Real Madrid man, and the 27-year-old believes that the deal was as good as done until the Scot announced his retirement.
Garay believes Moyes baulked at the price tag with Benfica having to pay his former club Real Madrid a slice of any transfer fee.
“I believed I was going to join Manchester United in the summer,” he said. “The deal was nearly closed but finally Benfica did not accept the offer.
“I believe the exit of Ferguson has influenced the deal. Moyes did not believe in me as much but that’s not a problem.
“I am happy at Benfica and have a lot of dreams and ambitions for this season. Now I only think about the present which is Benfica but it’s never possible to discard anything in the future.”
Barcelona are also apparently keen on bringing him on board as they continue to search for a long term replacement for Carles Puyol.