World Cup star rejected Manchester United to study economics

Rejecting Manchester United to continue one’s studies at university is not a decision many football fans would make; however, for one World Cup star this is his reality.

To represent your nation at the World Cup is the dream for many footballers around the globe, and one individual has managed to achieve this despite taking a more unique path to this destination.

However, this is the reality for the United States goalkeeper Matt Freese, who has revealed that he once turned down the chance to sign for Premier League giants Manchester United to prioritise his education.

The 27-year-old has emerged as Mauricio Pochettino's first-choice goalkeeper despite only making his debut for the US last year.

Freese has enjoyed a fine World Cup to this point for the United States, as he has only conceded one goal across his two appearances in the competition as they made easy work of Paraguay and Australia in the group stage.

Matt Freese #24 of the United States warms up prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between Türkiye and USA (getty Images)

The goalkeeper currently represents New York City in the MLS after coming through the Philadelphia Union academy; however, his career could have been completely different had he accepted an offer to join Man United several years ago.

In an interview with Hudson River Blue, Freese described how he honoured his parents' wishes, with them desperate for him to concentrate on his studies ahead of football, meaning a move to Old Trafford never happened.

He said: “It was largely a family decision.

“There were some tough conversations between me and my parents about this one.

“There was a clear path that I wanted to go on, but I had to respect what they wanted. They sacrificed so much for me, so I had to repay that and honour what they wanted and then, when the time was right, make my decision for myself."

Goalkeeper Matt Freese of the United States talks to the media during a training session for the 2026 World Cup at Great Park Sports Complex (Getty Images)

Freese would enrol at Harvard University to study economics, but he would continue his football development while carrying out his studies as he featured for the Harvard Crimson football side.

However, he would not complete his studies at Harvard, as he would leave a year early to sign for Philadelphia Union, his boyhood club, as a homegrown player before the 2019 MLS season.

This decision to put a pause on his studies and move into professional football was straightforward for Freese, as he explained: “It was very clear to me that in order to have the career I wanted to have on the field and to achieve things that I wanted to achieve on the field, the earlier my career could start, the better," he said.

"It was a pretty natural decision – everyone was on the same page."