It 's probable that Thiago Alcantara would never have signed for Manchester United even if David Moyes had wanted him . Once Pep Guardiola had made it clear he required the midfelder at Bayern Munich , it was pointless for United to continue their pursuit anyway , . But the fact that Moyes was n't keen on the transfer - 'not his type ' said a club source - was probably an early indication that he was n't the right fit for United . Not that Moyes is a bad judge of a player ; all managers get it wrong at some point . However , United 's need for passing quality from deep midfield was apparent throughout Moyes ' short time at the club . Indeed , it has continued to be a problem until Michael Carrick fully recovered from injury and Ander Herrera began to find his feet . The kind of passing display Thiago delivered in Bayern 's 6-1 win over Porto on Wednesday has been precisely what United have been missing . Thiago ( right ) heads in Bayern Munich 's first goal during their 6-1 win over Porto on Tuesday night . Thiago blows a kiss to the crowd as he celebrates his goal which started Bayern 's remarkable comeback . Thiago is congratulated on his strike by Pep Guardiola , the man who took him from Barcelona to Bayern . Without quality in that area , few teams can compete at the elite level any more . It used to be the case that a requirement of playing holding midfield was height , strength and an ability to tackle . Given that most distribution emanates from deep , being among the best passers of the ball in that position is infinitely more important now . Moyes might quite reasonably been worried that Thiago was on the slight side to thrive in the rough and tumble of the Premier League . And his troubles with repeated knee ligaments injuries until his comeback this year add some weight to that theory - he was much missed by Spain at the World Cup after pulling out with a knee injury . But there are few players in the world who can pass like Thiago . Gary Neville has spoken about how Paul Scholes was once among that small group of players who could dictate a game simply with the tempo and the accuracy of their passing . Andrea Pirlo and Xavi are two more from Scholes ' generation . Thiago is now elevating himself to their level . One experienced German journalist who has been watching Bayern for 35 years commented last night : 'Thiago might well be the most technically-gifted central midfielder who has ever played for Bayern . ' Thiago dictated the pace of the game from deep for Bayern Munich as they crushed Porto . Thiago started his career at Barcelona but was overlooked for Cesc Fabregas ( right ) by boss Tito Vilanova . And no-one has invested more in Thiago than Guardiola , which is why United had no realistic chance of signing him once his offer had been made . It was Pep who promoted him to the first team at Barcelona in 2009 and made him an integral part of the squad . But when Pep left , his successor , the late Tito Vilanova , wanted Cesc Fabregas to play that role . Thiago was sidelined , hence his availability in the summer of 2013 . He is very much a global footballer for the 21st century . His dad , of course , is Brazilian , the World Cup winner Mazinho ; Thiago was born in Italy and raised in Spain . He opted to play for the country in which he was living , rather than that of his forefathers or his birth , and was outstanding for Spain in the European Under 21 championships in 2013 , scoring a hat-trick in the final against Italy in a 4-2 win . At Barcelona they are said not to be disturbed by the rise of Thiago . Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets have that position covered . But Xavi is off to Qatar and Cesc is at Chelsea . Should Barca end up against Bayern in the Champions League semi finals , they may yet rue the day they deemed him surplus to requirements . David Moyes believed Thiago may not be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League .
Thiago Alcantara scored Bayern Munich 's first goal in 6-1 win over Porto . German midfielder dictated the game with precise passing from deep . One commentator said : 'Thiago might well be the most technically-gifted central midfielder who has ever played for Bayern . Thiago followed Pep Guardiola from Barcelona to Bayern Munich . Manchester United made an ultimately fruitless effort to sign the midfielder .