Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches has revealed that the reason that he rejected a move to Premier League side Manchester United last summer was to play with "world-class players" at the Allianz Arena.
Play alongside the best manager and players
The young midfielder has been touted as one of the hottest young talents on the continent for some time, with his stock rising even higher last summer with his performances for Portugal during their European Championships triumph.
Sanches was one of the many players that were linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer, with José Mourinho hoping to make his compatriot the first signing at the Theatre of Dreams.
However the 19-year-old opted for the £30million move to Germany, yet he has only made 23 appearances so far but he stated that he snubbed United to work with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti.
"[Bayern] really put in a lot of effort," Sanches said. "I immediately got a feeling the people in charge believed in me as a player."
"Ancelotti always looks calm and in charge," he admitted. "You can just see he has a lot of experience."
"He is getting involved with his players a lot and is helping players to make individual progress," the 19-year-old stressed in reference to the Italian. "But I am also playing alongside a lot of world-class players here."
"I can learn from all of them," Sanches stated. "Especially from the players who play in midfield like Arturo Vidal, Xabi Alonso and Thiago Alcântara."
Itching to impress
Mourinho's handling of young players has come into question over the seasons, and that has been no different this year with the Luke Shaw saga.
The 21-year-old has barely featured under the former Chelsea manager who he tried to sign during his time at Stamford Bridge, even going as far as to publicly criticise the full-back.
However, it seems to have got through to the England international who has improved in the passing weeks, and he stated that he is itching to impress his manager.
"There are more games," Shaw told manutd.com. "Hopefully I'm involved in all of them."
"Because I want to be playing in every game now until the end of the season," he concluded. "To show the boss what I can do and how I can help the team."