Ritchie De Laet tells the story about being shocked by Sir Alex Ferguson’s interest before signing for Manchester United and how a more senior defender in the dressing room took him under his wing.
Manchester United have made many surprising signings down the years. Some big names and others that most fans had never heard of before they’d moved their careers to Old Trafford.
Javier Hernandez is one of the best examples of that. The Mexican forward signed from Guadalajara as a relatively unknown striker, as fans in Europe were concerned. The striker, affectionately known as Chicharito, went on to become a gem of a signing under Sir Alex Ferguson.
That was proof that not every signing needs to be a marquee name. The foundations that helped create successful United teams in the past contained a mixture of world-class and hard-working players.
Of course, not every signing goes to plan, and some flop at the biggest club in the world – but not without trying.
Ritchie De Laet training with Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ritchie De Laet hung up on agent amid Sir Alex Ferguson interest
Ritchie De Laet signed for United in 2009, despite not making a single appearance at Stoke City.
De Laet’s agent at the time called the defender to inform him that a move to Old Trafford was on the cards, meaning he could swap Stoke City for the reigning Premier League champions.
However, De Laet thought the phone call was an ill-timed joke before he was considering leaving England to return to Belgium.
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“I was ready to go back to Belgium after I didn’t get a chance at Stoke,” De Laet said, as quoted by The Star.
“United gave me an opportunity to go there, and even if it was just training I went in with the mentality I couldn’t lose.
“I called my agent saying I want to go back to Belgium to which he replied with, ‘You might be going Manchester United,’ which I replied to by pressing down the phone. I thought he was joking so I hung up. He called me back and said, ‘I’m not joking mate’.”
De Laet went on to make three appearances for United, but he went on to play for Leicester City and Aston Villa.
Gary Neville helped Ritchie De Laet settle at Man Utd
Although De Laet made less than a handful of appearances for United, he has no regrets over his time at Old Trafford.
De Laet also admitted he owes a lot to former United captain Gary Neville for trying to guide him in the right direction at the club.
The 37-year-old said: “Gary pulled me sometimes after training and had a nice word with me. He was top quality. In training or games he wanted to win every time he played. That was great to see.
“I remember some of the games between the under-21s and the first team and if the under-21s won he’d go crazy against all the players in the first team at that time.
“He says whatever he wants to say as a TV pundit and most of the time he gets it right.”