West Ham United manager David Moyes has revealed that missing out on former Ghana international Michael Essien is one of his biggest transfer regrets.

Essien was on the radar of Everton before joining Chelsea in 2005 under Jose Mourinho.

During his coaching stint at Everton, Moyes followed the former Real Madrid midfielder when he was playing in the Ligue 1 with Bastia and Lyon.

The 37-year-old won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Uefa Champions League trophy during his nine-year stint at Stamford Bridge before moving to Serie A giants AC Milan.

"One of them would be Michael Essien [to Everton],” Moyes told beIN Sports.

"Toni Kroos would certainly be the one [to Manchester United].

"At that time we [Manchester United] were very much after Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas but I’ve got to say prior to that, at Everton, we were really close to a lot of good players.

"We just couldn’t quite get them over the line on several occasions.”

Essien currently plies his trade with Azerbaijan Premier League outfit Sabail where he has made 10 league appearances this season.