David Moyes has revealed that Wayne Rooney was very close to joining Chelsea last season.

The Blues pursued the England captain in the summer of 2013 after Moyes had taken the reins at Old Trafford but the Red Devils managed to hold on to their star forward much to the delight of the now-Real Sociedad boss who helped nurture Rooney when he was a teenager at Everton.

"I look at Wayne Rooney. I gave him his professional debut aged 16 and he's now on the verge of breaking all Manchester United's scoring records," Moyes told the Sunday Times.

"It was only a short time ago that Wayne could have easily left United. But I always felt he was as good as any British player out there; wherever he plays, he's a great footballer and, most importantly, he'll always score goals.

"Now, I'm delighted for Wayne, because Chelsea were close to taking him. Jose (Mourinho) was interested but we wouldn't do any business.

"I had to fight to make sure he stayed - and was at the heart again, of what Manchester United were going to be moving forward."