'No chance': £7m player now admits he would reject Manchester United due to his love for West Ham

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Not many players would reject a move to Manchester United or Manchester City because of West Ham.

The latter provides footballers with a golden chance to win major trophies under Pep Guardiola – who has steered the Citizens to four Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and many other pieces of silverware across the last four seasons.

Manchester City are currently well placed to make it five Premier League titles in a row.

In regards to Manchester United, the Red Devils can no longer offer near guarantees of success, but are very generous with wages, paying average players such as Antony and Mason Mount salaries of £200,000-a-week and £250,000-a-week respectively.

Despite these temptations, there is one player who would prefer West Ham to both Manchester United and Manchester City.

Pablo Fornals says he would even ignore Manchester City and Manchester United due to West Ham

Pablo Fornals has now been speaking to The Athletic – where he made a comment every West Ham fan will love.

The Spain international said: “I had interest from another Premier League team, but there's no way I could join another club in England. It would feel weird playing against the club I love. It's easier to live in London than other European countries, but if it's not West Ham then there's no chance. It could be Manchester City, or Manchester United, I can't do it. I can't picture myself scoring or celebrating against West Ham.”

Fornals left the London Stadium to seal a £6.8m move to Real Betis back in January 2024 after making 203 appearances in total for the Hammers, following a £24m switch from Villarreal in June 2019.

Even Paul Merson was surprised West Ham sold Fornals – calling him a “special” player at the time of his departure.

The Spaniard helped West Ham win the UEFA Conference League, scoring 23 goals and providing 18 assists in those 203 outings.

How Pablo Fornals is faring after West Ham exit

Given his popularity in east London, we presume many West Ham fans would like to know how the 28-year-old is performing at Real Betis under Manuel Pellegrini.

Fornals enjoyed a strong end to the 2023/24 campaign after his winter exit from the London Stadium, scoring three goals and providing two assists across 15 appearances in La Liga.

The man from Castellon is yet to register a goal involvement in 11 appearances so far this season, but his contributions go beyond goals or assists, with Pellegrini even handing him the armband for a 2-0 win over Leganes in September.

While it was sad to see Fornals leave West Ham, he clearly still holds a lot of affection for the Hammers, having fully bought into the club during his time in east London – which is great to see.