Henrik Larsson has explained why he wanted to stay at Celtic amid huge interest from Manchester United in the early 2000s.
The Swedish striker signed for the Hoops in 1997 under manager Wim Jansen and played a part in stopping Rangers winning 10IAR.
A horrific leg break during a game against Lyon stuttered Larsson’s Celtic progress, but after five-and-a-half months out, he came back firing.
The King of Kings was instrumental during Martin O’Neill’s first season as Bhoys boss, as Celtic went on to win a domestic Treble in 2001.
With Larsson scoring an incredible 53 goals in 50 games that campaign, there was bound to be transfer interest from elsewhere.
Portrait of Henrik Larsson during the Launch of the New Xai Football Boot at Celtic Park
May 22 2001: Portrait of Henrik Larsson during the Launch of the New Xai Football Boot at Celtic Park . Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT
Why Larsson rejected Celtic to Man Utd move in early 2000s
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was keen on Larsson in the early 2000s, but the Swede has now put across his reasons why he wanted to remain at Celtic.
Speaking to Charlie Mulgrew on the Mulgrew Pitch to Par YouTube channel, Larsson said Celtic brought him happiness, comfort and his family were well settled by that point.
For him, money was not a motivation, so he rejected a lucrative switch to United.
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Larsson said: “Yeah, they (United) were interested early. I think it was the end of the 90s, early 2000s, I can’t remember. But I was just settling in, I was happy at Celtic.
“Jordan (Henrik’s son) was not too old. I wanted to stay because I felt that I was happy in Scotland. I was happy in Glasgow. The family was happy and I felt that I knew what I had at Celtic.
“And I also had three-and-a-half years in Holland where it was like, the football was going up and down, up and down, playing then not playing, sitting in the stands.
“And I say it again, it wasn’t that I was afraid of it (leaving), but I felt what I had at Celtic, I wanted to continue having that by playing. I was playing in the Euros, I was playing in the Swedish national team.
“So for me just to go somewhere just to earn a little bit more, that wasn’t an option at the time because the family was settled in Bothwell. So I felt that I’m going to stay here and then I didn’t know that, in the end, I would stay for seven years.”
Larsson did play for Man Utd in the end
Of course, Celtic fans will remember Larsson’s loan spell at Manchester United in 2007 from Barcelona, with Ferguson finally getting the chance to manage the Swede.
Larsson scored three goals in 13 appearances, and while that doesn’t sound awfully inspiring, United fans remember the striker fondly.
Ferguson said of Larsson in later years: “I would have done anything to keep him. His three goals for us was no measure of his contribution.
“In his last game in our colours at Middlesbrough, we were winning 2-1 and Henrik went back to play in midfield and ran his balls off.
“On his return to the dressing room, all the players stood up and applauded him and the staff joined in. It takes some player to make that kind of impact in two months.”