Manuel Neuer has insisted that moving to Manchester United has never been a realistic option.
German star happy over future
Manuel Neuer has insisted that moving to Manchester United has never been a realistic option.
United have again been strongly linked with a move for the German goalkeeper following his outstanding display against them in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Schalke and the Red Devils.
Indeed the English media have again leapt onto the possibility of United sealing a deal for Neuer after Sir Alex Ferguson described it as probably the finest goalkeeping display by an opponent during his time with the club.
Neuer's performance, though, will not have been a surprise to Ferguson whose interest in the Schalke star dates back more than a year but, despite his scouts keeping close and constant checks on him, his heart is set on a move to Bayern Munich.
Neuer revealed earlier this month that he had already made his mind up about his future, and Bayern have confirmed that they will look to finalise a deal with Schalke shortly.
Both
Bayern and Schalke are posturing about Neuer, but a deal looks set to be struck in the coming weeks, and that has only been emphasised by the keeper himself.
"Manchester United was never an option for me," said the 25-year-old.
"I will focus now on my performances and my team. All the other things don't matter at the moment."
United for their part are still trying to convince Edwin van der Sar to remain for at least another year, although they have seemingly already decided on his successor after opening talks with Atletico Madrid over their outstanding young keeper David de Gea.
