David Moyes admits he tried to sign Real Madrid ace Toni Kroos for Manchester United.
The midfielder chose to join Real after the World Cup.
"I wanted to bring Kroos to Manchester from Bayern. He went to Madrid, where he has proved to be a fantastic footballer," Moyes told the Sunday Times.
"Kroos has a special talent, he is the closest thing to Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo and Scholes. He has vision and can play long and short. He has a variety of passes, many of them decisive. Not only plays sideways or backward.
"He is the quarterback of the midfield. He can open the game with a single pass and not many players are like that .. Scholes, Pirlo and Alonso.
"He joins the attack and has a good shot. This is not one to only play in front of the back four."