Lille defender Thomas Meunier has declared his love for Manchester United, saying he’d cycle all the way to England to complete the transfer.
The Belgium international right-back has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
Meunier, who joined French club Lille in July 2024, has never tested himself in the Premier League – but if he could – he’d move straight to Old Trafford.
At the age of 33, it seems unlikely that the defender’s dream of playing for United will come true but that hasn’t stopped him from being a huge fan.
Meunier would cycle to England to join Man Utd
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Meunier, capped 69 times by his country, told Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen: ‘If they (Man Utd) ever ask me, I’ll cycle there!
‘But maybe it’s better this way. Suppose I play there and have a bad time. I wouldn’t want to hate Manchester United, because I love that club so much.
‘I went to watch them a few weeks ago, against Bilbao. In with the fans, singing, à fond (fully).
‘Je suis un vrai. (I am a real one). I go to watch them at least once every season.
‘But of all the home games I’ve seen in all those years, they’ve only won two. You have to have a self cruelty side to be a United supporter, right?’
It’s not the first time Meunier has spoken of his admiration for United, also doing so when linked with a transfer back in 2019 when he was at PSG.
During that interview, Meunier described United as a ‘beautiful’ and ‘exceptional’ club.
Three years ago, Meunier once again had his heart set on a move to United but it never materialised and he ended up staying at Dortmund instead.
Meunier has enjoyed success with a number of other clubs despite never playing for his beloved United.
He won the Belgian Cup and Belgian Pro League with Club Brugge in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
During his four-year stint at PSG from 2016 to 2020, Meunier clinched three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France trophies.
After a Champions League runner-up finish with PSG in 2020, he moved to Dortmund, helping the Bundesliga side land the German Cup in 2021.
Following his four-year spell with Dortmund, Meunier had a brief stint at Turkish club Trabzonspor before joining Lille just over 12 months ago.
He was named in the Marca/Forbes World Cup All-Star team in 2018, having helped Belgium to a third-placed finish at the tournament.