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Former England youth international packed bags ahead of ‘dream’ Manchester United move
MATTHEW BRIGGS has revealed how a collapsed move to Manchester United affected him mentally.
Man United: Matthew Briggs admits club was his 'dream'
Briggs came through the youth setup at Fulham and made 13 Premier League appearances for the Cottagers between 2007 and 2014.
The left-back represented England from under-16 to under-21 level and was a highly thought of prospect.
Manchester United were rumoured to be keen on signing Briggs in 2010 after impressing for Fulham.
However, he claims Fulham blocked the move and his career has gone on to dip dramatically since.
As soon as I heard Man United were interested in me I was like ‘I want to go’. I wanted to go, I was ready, packed
Briggs has slowly dropped down the football pyramid and most recently played for Isthmian League North outfit Maldon and Tiptree.
London-born Briggs says it was his childhood dream to play for United and that he packed his bags when he heard of their interest.
However, he has revealed the despair he felt when Fulham did not grant him his wish of moving to Old Trafford.
“Man United were interested in me,” Briggs told talkSPORT.
“As a young child, that was my dream to play for United.
“As soon as I heard Man United were interested in me I was like ‘I want to go’.
“I wanted to go, I was ready, packed.
“But when Fulham didn’t want me to go and didn’t allow me to go, that sort of affected me mentally.
“I sort of became down about it.
“I let it affect my mood, my football wasn’t quite at it, at the races.
“My head was gone.”