Thomas Muller laughed when he was asked about joining Man United in today's era... Which tells Man United's ownership everything they must know.
When thinking about Man United, there are two different clubs which spring to mind: United of the past and United of the present. Unfortunately, both clubs couldn't be further away from each other.
Once the biggest and most dominant force in the world, Man United has fallen behind quite substantially in recent times. It is a shadow of the club it once was, and it's not only the fans who are noticing.
Indeed, Thomas Muller, who is a legend in his own right, made note of that fact.
Thomas Muller shuts down Man United dream
When asked on CBS Sports about which clubs he would've liked to have joined, Man United arose in the conversation. He was pushed in that direction by presenter Kate Abdo, but he gladly indulged in the conversation... Until he realised what Abdo really meant.
Muller said that Man United looked appealing to him "many times", then, after a few seconds, his facial expression completely changed and he asked "or do you mean now?"
When asked if Muller would like to join Man United now, his response was a quick "no no no." He then followed up by laughing and saying "I'm not the right guy for them and they are not the right club for me... They want to have fun and I want to have fun so that's not a match."
Brutal, but he's spot on.
Prime Muller and prime United would be a dream match
It is easy to imagine prime Muller in a prime Man United jersey, most notably at the height of Sir Alex Ferguson's success. In fact, it seemed like a love story which just never happened, for whatever reason.
Man United in this era was a club that took itself seriously. Muller, too, was known for taking himself seriously as a player. He has an incredible legacy in German football and is one of the best goal scorers to ever grace the pitch.
So, signing for Man United now would be a complete risk for Muller's legacy. Like he said, he wants to have fun, and he wouldn't have fun playing for Man United.
It is also interesting to hear him say Man United wants to have fun, hinting that the club isn't taken seriously by professionals. To hear such brutal words come out of a well-respected legend should seriously rile up Man United officials and spark real change.
We won't count on it, obviously.