A former player for Manchester United revealed that he once turned down the chance to sign for Manchester City, leaving his medical with the Sky Blues early so that he could complete a switch to Arsenal instead.
The Red Devils share hostilities with both teams for various reasons. Although Man City are their local rivals, with the Manchester Derby one of the biggest in British football, their tensions with Arsenal stem from both clubs competing for Premier League success during the 1990s and 2000s.
Fixtures between United and the Gunners were always competitive, as Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson battled for supremacy. In fact, there was such animosity between the two clubs that, prior to 2008, the most recent player to move from Old Trafford to North London was Brian Kidd in 1974. But that all changed when Mikael Silvestre completed a transfer to the Emirates.
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Silvestre's Controversial Move to Arsenal
Manchester United's Mikael Silvestre is chased by Manchester City's Robbie Fowler
Mikael Silvestre (right) rejected Manchester City for Arsenal.
Having arrived at the Theatre of Dreams from Inter Milan in 1999, Silvestre would go on to enjoy a successful career as a United player. The defender was a part of five Premier League trophy wins during an eight-year spell in Manchester, while he also claimed a solitary Champions League.
Playing 361 times in all competitions for Ferguson's side, the curtain would eventually come down on his career as a Red Devil in 2008, with the French international deemed surplus to requirements. That enticed City, who were managed by Mark Hughes at the time, to try and complete a move for the veteran.
It very nearly came to fruition. Silvestre was in the process of completing his medical for a move to United's rivals, when a phone call from Arsene Wenger changed everything. He told Poker Stars, via the Metro: "I almost signed for Manchester City in 2008, believe it or not.
"I was halfway through my medical in Manchester and was very close to finalising a move to the club. However, Arsene Wenger reached out to me through a friend to try and get me to sign for Arsenal during the medical.
"I couldn’t turn that offer down, and I signed for the club the very next day.
"It was a crazy situation. Nowadays, when a club does a medical, they do it all in one day and don’t let the players leave the room to make sure the deal goes through."
Many within the City hierarchy were likely furious about Silvestre's decision to snub them. But Hughes was not seemingly one of them, as the former United defender revealed in 2022 that when he called the manager to inform him of his decision, the Welshman was very understanding.
"I was halfway through the medical at City when Arsene Wenger gave me a call," he said. "We had a long discussion and I had to call Mark Hughes and say ‘sorry, London’s calling!’
"He said ‘I understand, I probably would’ve done the same in your position so go and get things sorted with Arsenal and if for whatever reason it doesn’t work out you can still sign with us.’ I really appreciated the way he handled the situation."
Silvestre Picked Between Arsenal and United
Arsenal's Mikael Silvestre stretching in training
Signing for the Gunners in August 2008, Silvestre went on to spend two years in north London. He found a different culture at his new club, detailing that his experience training under Wenger was vastly different to what he went through under Ferguson, and would play 43 times for Arsenal in all competitions before moving to Werder Bremen.
Many years after he retired, Silvestre was asked to pick between United and Arsenal with regard to which team he supported more now. And while he said that he enjoyed playing for the North Londoners, the 40-cap Les Bleus international stated he had to go with the Red Devils simply because of how long he spent in Manchester.
"When you have been travelling as much as I did, you still look back and support the clubs you played for. But, as you know, nine years at United is a long time in one career.
"If you asked me to pick, it would be more United, but I had a great time at Arsenal.