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Former Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids has claimed that he was incredibly close to joining Manchester United in 1996.
The legendary Dutch midfielder is an iconic player of the 1990s, instantly recognisable by his bright orange glasses that he wore while playing, as a result of an operation to treat his glaucoma.
The Dutchman was also a wonderful footballer, winning the Champions League in 1995 with Ajax alongside former Red Edwin van der Sar and coached by Louis van Gaal, who was in the Old Trafford dugout from 2014 to 2016.
Davids went on to play for AC Milan and Juventus before having a spell in England for Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and, rather shockingly, League Two side Barnet to finish his career.
Nicknamed “The Pitbull” for his ferocious tackling, he was also technically gifted and was one of Europe’s elite midfielders in his pomp.
Fascinatingly, The Mirror report that Davids was inches from signing for United after a phone call with Sir Alex Ferguson before he left Ajax.
Speaking on the experience Davids commented, “when I left Ajax in 1996 there was a good chance of me going to Manchester United. I had a conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson and it was one of the most unbelievable experiences I had in my whole career. He was funny, charming, intelligent – basically everything you wanted.”
Nonetheless, due to the greater pull of Serie A at the time, he eventually had to turn down the great man’s advances.
“The big boys were in Serie A and that’s where I wanted to go at that time of my career. That was the main reason why I chose to go to AC Milan. I don’t regret not going to Manchester United. I’ve seen Sir Alex since and we had a good laugh about it all and there are still the same good feelings between us.”
The legendary Dutch midfielder also threw his support behind current under-fire United manager Erik ten Hag.
On his compatriot he claimed, “I know him very well. I did an internship at FC Utrecht and he was there. He was very innovative with lots of different things and I was very impressed. He’s very focused and passionate about football.”
He did admit that things have not really worked out so well at United but put the blame more on United’s lack of clinical goalscorers than the manager.