Former Bournemouth forward Joshua King previously revealed his disappointment at being prevented from securing a dream return to Manchester United. Michael Carrick's side will face the Cherries this weekend in the Premier League, with King representing the south coast outfit between 2015 and 2021.

The forward was the target of severalunsuccessful approaches from United in 2020 before they ultimately switched to Odion Ighalo. Norway international King launched his career at Old Trafford after joining the club as a 16-year-old.

His Premier League breakthrough arrived with Bournemouth, where he netted 53 goals in 184 appearances. King expressed his frustration with how his potential move was managed at the Vitality Stadium, disclosing how gutted he was not to secure a return to United, then under his compatriot Ole Gunner Solskjaer.

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It was reported that Bournemouth's asking price was deemed too steep after United were said to have had a £25million offer rejected.

"The dream was to play for United," King said in March 2025, via VG. "Now United are struggling with a striker. They have a Norwegian coach who is interested.

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"Put an offer on the table, and I came there for free. And then you say no to £25m. He (then-Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe) said: 'Joshua, I won't stand in your way, but the club wants x number of millions'.

"I just sat in the hot tub for two or three hours waiting for the phone. I called Jim [Solbakken, his agent], who was working on that deal. And then I remember reading "Ighalo ready for United". Then I was completely devastated. Then I was way down."

King's frustration played a part in his desire to depart the Cherries. The 34-year-old admitted he remained uncertain whether it was the club's leadership or Howe who blocked his move to United.

"I don't know if it came from Eddie or if it came from the club," he said. "But it came from somewhere. And that was part of the reason why I wanted to leave Bournemouth and try a new chapter."

Having been refused his chance to exit in January 2020, 12 months on, with the south coast outfit in the Championship, King departed for Everton.

His stint with the Toffees was succeeded by periods at Watford, Fenerbahce, and Toulouse. King currently represents Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League.

The player who took King's place at Old Trafford, Ighalo, eventually joined Old Trafford on loan from Shanghai Shenhua, three years following his exit from Watford.

The Nigerian netted five times in 19 outings but went without a Premier League goal during his 12 months at the club and was restricted to just a single league appearance in the opening half of the 2020/21 campaign.

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