The Red Devils made a late attempt to sign the Bayern Munich defender, but saw their advances rejected as the transfer window closed
Despite both clubs being at the top of their respective leagues for decades, players moving to Manchester United from Bayern Munich are a rare commodity.
Mark Hughes spent time on loan at the Bundesliga giants during his brief flirtation with Barcelona between spells at Old Trafford, but more recently only Owen Hargreaves and Bastian Schweinsteiger have traded the red jersey of Bayern for the slightly different shade at Old Trafford.
As the Premier League transfer window reached its final stages, it looked like another name might join that elite group, with United hoping that World Cup winner Jerome Boateng might be the answer to their centre-back dilemma.