Former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce claims Manchester United made a large offer for Sean Longstaff during his spell at the club.

The 26-year-old midfielder broke into the Magpies first-team just before Bruce’s appointment in the summer of 2019, and he has since impressed on Tyneside, prompting requests for a potential chance with England.

Longstaff’s price tag was rumored to be £50 million at the time of his debut, amid reports of United’s interest.

Bruce has now disclosed that United were serious and made a “colossal” proposal, with the player “insistent” on moving to Old Trafford.

“I inherited Sean at a time where a big-money move to Manchester United was on the cards,” Bruce is quoted by the Mirror as saying.

“Newcastle were turning down a colossal amount of money, and that was swirling around at the time.

“Sean was recovering from an awful injury at the time. He’s entitled to his opinion, and he’s shown maturity over the last couple of years.

“We had him almost five years ago. He was a lot younger then, a lot of things were swirling around, and that was combined with a long-term injury.

“He’s proven to be a very good player. Sean’s move to Man United was never close. He was insistent that it was at one point, but I knew Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Mike Phelan – it was never on the cards.”