- Victor Wanyama has revealed that he almost signed for Manchester United after impressing Sir Alex Ferguson when he was at Celtic
- Ferguson attended a Champions League match to watch him play, but retired the following season, ending the United dream
- Wanyama later joined Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and CF Montreal, returning to Scotland in 2025 to play for Dunfermline Athletic
Champion footballer Victor Wanyama has opened up about a little-known part of his football career abroad, revealing how he came close to joining the club Manchester United.
Source: Facebook
Wanyama, along with his brother McDonald Mariga, are among the few Kenyan players who have paved the way for others to play professionally abroad.
Long before Wanyama started the Premier League with Southampton, he reportedly received a rich offer from Manchester United.
How did Victor Wanyama fail to join Manchester United?
Speaking during a recent interview with podcast host Chaxxy alongside Mariga, Wanyama recalled that his excellent performance for Celtic caught the attention of Manchester United scouts.
At the time, Celtic were dominating the Scottish league, which meant that then manager Sir Alex Ferguson insisted on watching them in a UEFA Champions League match rather than a domestic league game.
“Ferguson said that he could only watch the Champions League because the league was not very competitive and Celtic were so good that we were beating all the teams,” Wanyama explained.
He described the pressure of the day, noting that even in the dressing room, everyone reminded him of Ferguson’s presence.
Wanyama said he did well and later held private talks with the legendary manager, leaving him hopeful that a move to United was imminent.
However, that dream did not come true. Ferguson retired the following season, ending Wanyama’s hopes of joining the ranks of the Premier League.
“I just told myself it wasn’t meant to be,” Wanyama said.
Wanyama later signed for Southampton in 2013 before moving on Tottenham Hotspur in 2016, where he played until 2020.
He then joined MLS side CF Montreal and, in 2025, returned to Scotland to play for Dunfermline Athletic on a short-term contract.
It’s worth noting that Wanyama scored a stunning header against Manchester United in 2017, helping Tottenham secure a crucial 2-1 win in their last game at White Hart Lane. Watch the interview here:
Kenyans are talking about the incident of Wanyama about to join Man Utd
Here are some of their comments after the revelation.
mosequedj:
“That game upset me, but I bought his spurs jersey.”
mou_rizon:
“Come on guys, I remember that game.”
gregoryayaya:
“The same goal Wanyama scored by DeGea was 🔥 but it hurt me badly.”
buxton.hunnid:
“Man United? Where are the receipts?”
Wayne:
“Arsenal people will think it’s AI.”
Come on:
“Imagine now what it would be like if Man U went to beat the bad Arsenal.”
Source: UGC
Did Wanyama take Bahati to court?
In another story, Bahati revealed that Victor Wanyama took him to court after the musician shared an old photo of the athlete with Diana Marua, allegedly to attract attention to his Netflix show at the time.
Luck he explained that he had tried to reach Wanyama through Mariga, whom he considered a friend, but after unsuccessful attempts to contact him directly, Wanyama reportedly provided him with legal documents.
The incident sparked a debate on social media, with netizens sharing different opinions about the saga.
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