A former AS Monaco and AC Milan star has opened up about how close he came to joining Manchester United early in his career.
Over the years, Manchester United has come close to signing some of football’s most iconic players, only for various reasons to derail their potential moves.
Sergio Aguero is one of the most notable names in this category.
The Argentine striker, now a Manchester City legend, was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the early stages of his career.
However, despite the interest, Aguero ultimately signed for City in 2011, where he went on to become one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.
Similarly, Arjen Robben was another major talent that nearly signed for United.
The Dutch winger, who would go on to make history with Chelsea, had been in talks with United but ended up moving to Stamford Bridge instead, where he enjoyed immense success as part of Chelsea’s attacking line.
David Silva almost became a United player in 2010, but despite his talents, the Spanish playmaker chose to join rivals Manchester City.
Silva’s move to City would help define their midfield dominance in the years that followed, and his impact on the Premier League was undeniable.
Franck Ribery also attracted United’s attention during the height of his career, but the French winger ended up at Bayern Munich instead, where he achieved legendary status.
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Jeremy Menez has now revealed his decision not to move to Old Trafford.
The French forward revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson personally pursued him as a teenager, but he ultimately chose to begin his professional career in France.
“The story is well known – I almost signed for Manchester United when I was 16 or 17,” Menez told L’Equipe.
“I visited Old Trafford, and Alex Ferguson even travelled to Longjumeau with his staff to meet my father and convince him.
“In the end, I had the final say, and I don’t regret choosing Sochaux to start my professional career.
“But, of course, I sometimes wonder how my career would have turned out if I had gone to United.
“I wouldn’t have been a starter right away, but I would have trained with the first team, and who knows what could have happened?”
Jeremy Menez had another opportunity to move to Old Trafford in 2010 when he was at Roma, but despite Ferguson’s interest, he once again opted to stay put.
The former France international admitted, “Turning down Ferguson wasn’t easy, but I was still young and had to follow my own path”.
Menez’s time in Italy took a turn when Vincenzo Montella took over at Roma, bringing changes that affected his role in the squad.
““Before Montella arrived, I was playing regularly, but he had different ideas,” Menez recalled.
A similar situation unfolded at Paris Saint-Germain, where he initially thrived under Carlo Ancelotti but found himself side-lined when Laurent Blanc took charge.
“I was a regular under Ancelotti, but then Blanc came in and dropped me.
“Even after I returned from surgery and scored, nothing changed,” he said.
Despite the setbacks, Menez believes the challenges shaped him as a player.
“It was a tough year, but it helped me grow,” he reflected.
So Jeremy Menez didn’t make his way to Old Trafford.
But it’s not as though the team suffered as a result.
Around that time, Manchester United had the likes of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen to select up front.
The plethora of attacking talent means it was probably a wise choice on the part of Jeremy Menez to make his name away from Old Trafford and the English Premier League.
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