Edgar Davids says he had the opportunity to join Manchester United during his playing days and had a soft spot for the club because of one player in particular.
The Dutch midfielder played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, starting his career at Ajax before moving on to the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona and Inter Milan.
He had spells in England later in his career, firstly at Tottenham and then at Crystal Palace and Barnet.
The 52-year-old could have been turning out at Old Trafford in his pomp as well, with Alex Ferguson trying to bring him to Manchester at one stage.
Davids says he already enjoyed watching the Red Devils because he was a big fan of a player in the same position as him – Paul Ince.
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‘I mean it’s really, how you say, that I look differently at United,’ Davids told MUTV. ‘Because, you know, I already watched Manchester United as they had a player I really liked – Paul Ince.
‘He was a midfielder who was unbelievable. I also played against him, when he played for Inter and I played for Milan.
‘He was a big boy then and it was a really amazing derby. Him against Marcel Desailly, who was a big boy too, and that was like a big battle in the midfield.’
The man known as The Pitbull for his ferocious style of play in the middle of the park, says he spoke to Ferguson while he was still in his first stint at Ajax.
He remembers the conversation fondly, but had already decided to make the move to AC Milan when the opportunity to go to Manchester United arose.
‘I got to talk to Sir Alex and it was one of the most incredible talks I ever had,’ he said. ‘But I had already made my mind up to go somewhere else [Milan].
“Yes, it was in 1996, when I was with Ajax, but it was just the way he [Ferguson] was. His personality and everything. It was a whole different level.
‘I played against amazing players [at United], who started doing amazing things. When you play against certain teams, you then also follow the careers of these young players.
‘But no regrets. I only considered Italy for me because Italy was the place I wanted to be. The best players were playing in Italy at the time, like it is now in the Premier League.’
Edgar Davids’ major trophies
Ajax
Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
Champions League: 1994–95
KNVB Cup: 1992–93, 2006–07
UEFA Cup: 1991–92
Juventus
Serie A: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
Inter Milan
Coppa Italia: 2004–05
Davids suffered an injury-hit time at Milan but went on to shine in Italy with Juventus, where he won there Serie A titles and former a memorable partnership in midfield with Zinedine Zidane.
He explained why it was such a successful partnership, telling FourFourTwo: ‘It’s about trust and about energy. If you have this connection with someone anyway, then you know what’s going to happen.
‘It’s about feelings; about knowing football on a certain level. And we both understood football on the same level.’