A Bundesliga boss has revealed why he turned down interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer.
Just a couple months ago, the two Premier League giants were assessing potential managerial candidates ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
United, in the end, stuck with Erik ten Hag before eventually sacking the Dutchman this month. While Chelsea had already parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino and needed a replacement.
One name that cropped on both teams’ shortlist was Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness, who has made a name for himself since joining the Bundesliga side.
Hoeness led Stuttgart to an impressive second-place finish in the Bundesliga last term, behind only Bayer Leverkusen and ahead of giants Bayern.
It lead to interest from Chelsea and United, however, in a recent interview with Bild, Hoeness revealed his reasoning for turning down a move.
Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness revealed why he turned down Premier League approaches
Man United and Chelsea scoped out Hoeness as they looked to replace Erik ten Hag (left) and Mauricio Pochettino (right)
Speaking to the German outlet, he said: ‘I noticed that there was interest from various clubs. That wasn’t entirely surprising after the season we played.
‘But I had decided to stay in Stuttgart a few months earlier. That’s why I didn’t have a single conversation.
‘It was clear to me that I wanted to develop and build something at VfB this season too’.
When asked if he regretted his decision at all, Hoeness firmly responded: ‘No’.
Last month, Bild claimed that the Red Devils made contact with the 42-year-old, who also attracted interest from Bayern Munich, only for him to turn United down.
He is said to have been flattered by United’s sales pitch but, believing his work in Germany was not yet finished, turned down the chance to join them.
In the end, United stuck with Ten Hag but eventually relieved him of his duties at the start of this month after a dire start to their campaign.
They have appointed Portuguese tactician Ruben Amorim as his replacement, who will take charge of the Reds for the first time on Sunday afternoon against Ipswich.
Hoeness led Stuttgart to an impressive second-place finish in the Bundesliga last term
Amorim has reportedly told his United stars why his predecessors failed to live up to Sir Alex Ferguson’s level of success as he seeks to turn around their fortunes.
Amorim took charge of his first training session as Man United’s new head coach on on Monday, with the 39-year-old the latest man tasked with leading the club to success.
He will be the sixth permanent boss to follow Ferguson after David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag, with each failing to deliver the Premier League title.
According to The Sun, Amorim informed the Man United squad that previous bosses had lived in the shadow of Ferguson.
He’ll be hoping he can be the one to change that when he kick starts his tenure against the Tractor Boys.