Manchester United have turned their nose up at signing a legendary forward in 2024 despite Erik ten Hag previously trying to bring him to Old Trafford, per reports.

The Red Devils were on the hunt for reinforcements at the top end of the pitch last January. Cristiano Ronaldo had been jettisoned out of Manchester after bringing the club into disrepute through his ill-advised interview with TalkTV's Piers Morgan.

United's budget was tight, with the club ultimately sanctioning a six-month loan for Dutch international Wout Weghorst.

However, according to BILD (as cited by The Metro), Man Utd and Ten Hag made overtures towards Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller prior to settling for Weghorst.

Muller, now 34, rejected the chance to join Man Utd, though could yet have another opportunity to do so.

Indeed, Muller has tumbled down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel this season, racking up just 329 minutes of Bundesliga action.

Harry Kane's arrival, combined with Leroy Sane hitting top form and the emergence of Jamal Musiala have all combined to torpedo Muller's gametime.

The veteran German - who has scored 282 goals at senior level for Bayern and Germany - is out of contract in Munich at season's end.

As such, a landmark move to another side could be on the horizon in 2024 despite Muller's association with the club dating all the way back to 2000.

His situation in Bavaria looks less secure than ever and Muller was an unused substitute during Bayern's narrow 1-0 victory over Koln on Friday night. In fact, manager Tuchel opted to not make a single substitution in the entire game.

Explaining his decision, Tuchel said: "It was a bit unfortunate. It was not because I don't trust my players on the bench, but because we were doing so well in the game.

"We controlled it very well. [Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting] was a good fit with [Harry Kane], he was still trying to win the headers towards the end.

"I kept thinking about how I could bring Thomas [Muller] into the game. I also thought about giving Mathys [Tel] or Rapha [Guerreiro] a few minutes, but the result was still so tight. I didn't want to disturb the rhythm.

"This doesn't normally happen, so I apologized to the boys (on the bench). They all should keep the spirit and not hold it against me."

Man Utd pass up Muller opening Now, according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Muller's lack of minutes has created a "very difficult situation" for Tuchel.

But despite the conundrum of how to manage a fading "legend of the club", Bayern reportedly intend to open talks regarding a contract extension.

What's more, Plettenberg claimed that despite the obvious opening, Man Utd have no intention of reigniting their interest in Muller, be it in January or the summer.

Even if Muller doesn't pen fresh terms and is available as a free agent at season's end, Man Utd will not attempt to strike a deal.

Given United's chequered history with signing ageing superstars (Radamel Falcao, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Alexis Sanchez etc), their caution is perhaps for the best.

DON'T MISS: Miserable Man Utd superstar offered dream switch to UCL club - 'he is welcomed with open arms'