{"ok":true,"trend":{"id":960169,"platform":"mastodon","region":"global","key":"i was meant to sign for man united – the players were even talking to the manager about me https:// fed.brid.gy/r/https:","title":"I was meant to sign for Man United – the players were even talking to the manager about me https:// fed.brid.gy/r/https:","url":"https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-united-jermain-defoe-ferguson-34688583","first_seen":"2026-10-04T07:50:55.726085Z","last_seen":"2026-10-04T10:34:57.384067Z","last_rank":12,"peak_rank":11,"last_volume":0,"peak_volume":0,"seen_count":3,"score":0.70765625,"category_hint":"soccer","section":"sport","category":"soccer","summary":"Jermain Defoe has revealed he was close to signing for Manchester United, saying the squad's players were already discussing him with the manager ahead of a proposed move that ultimately never happened. The interview, carried by the Manchester Evening News, has drawn attention among fans revisiting old transfer sagas from the Alex Ferguson era and wondering how the striker's career might have differed.","why":"Defoe's fresh comments about a near-transfer to Manchester United are circulating among football fans and media.","tone":"neutral","entities":["Jermain Defoe","Manchester United","Manchester Evening News","Alex Ferguson"],"summarized_at":"2026-10-04T07:51:56.537727Z","meta":{"tag":"premierleague","via":"scan","kind":"status","lang":"en","instance":"mastodon.social","tag_uses":43},"nw":null,"promo":null,"kind":null,"importance":null,"hidden":false,"hide_reason":null,"judged_at":null,"title_en":"Jermain Defoe says he came close to joining Manchester United","section_name":"Sport","category_name":"Soccer","timeline":[{"captured_at":"2026-10-04T07:50:55.726085Z","rank":11,"volume":0},{"captured_at":"2026-10-04T09:12:55.939295Z","rank":12,"volume":0},{"captured_at":"2026-10-04T10:34:57.384067Z","rank":12,"volume":0}],"posts":[{"platform":"mastodon","url":"https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-united-jermain-defoe-ferguson-34688583","author":"manchestereveningnews.co.uk@web.brid.gy","title":null,"snippet":"I was meant to sign for Man United – the players were even talking to the manager about me https:// fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.manc hestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-united-jermain-defoe-ferguson-34688583","posted_at":"2026-10-04T05:30:00Z","likes":0}],"elsewhere":[],"window":"7d"}}