Former Netherlands star Edgar Davids has confirmed that he held talks with Sir Alex Ferguson over a move to Manchester United during his career.
Sir Alex Ferguson helped Manchester United to a period of sustained dominance during his time in charge between 1986 and 2013.
Part of Ferguson’s success was down to the club’s elite academy stars who he placed great trust in, and a big element was also his clever record in the transfer market.
Stars like Roy Keane and Eric Cantona were snapped up from Premier League competitors, while Ferguson also looked abroad for imports.
One player he tried to sign and was unsuccessful in doing so was Edgar Davids, who has now shed light on why the deal did not go ahead.
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Edgar Davids chose AC Milan
Edgar Davids was one of Europe’s top midfielders during the 1990s and 2000s. He rose to prominence at Ajax, helping them to win the Champions League in 1995 as part of the same team as Edwin van der Sar.
His decision to leave Ajax on a free transfer came at a time Sir Alex Ferguson was rebuilding United, embarking on his biggest gamble yet in 1996.
Speaking to the Total Media podcast, Edgar Davids explained that he held positive talks with Sir Alex Ferguson over a move.
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But he instead chose to sign with AC Milan because he was attracted by the lure of Serie A, the best league in the world at the time.
Davids explained: “AC Milan, why? Because in that period Italy was the top of the top.
“I always say is that if that wasn’t the case I would’ve signed for Man U for sure.
“That conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the best I had, that man is something else.”
Ferguson sold Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes, with Steve Bruce also retiring.
His signings were a little mixed in 1996, bringing in bargains Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, before gambling on Euro ’96 stars Jordi Cruyff and Karel Poborsky.
There is no doubt that Davids would have been an astute replacement for Paul Ince in midfield if he had committed to United.
Sir Alex Ferguson won TWO Champions League titles in 1999 and 2008, but had several near-misses…
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Edgar Davids would have made United’s midfield terrifying
Edgar Davids was a powerhouse of a midfielder who was a feared tackler with quality in possession, and he could have struck up a dominant partnership with Roy Keane.
The beneficiaries of the deal not going ahead were Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, as United did not spend money on another central midfielder.
It worked out pretty well for United, while Edgar Davids’ stint at AC Milan was disappointing – he suffered a broken leg in his first season and was sold to Juventus subsequently.
Davids returned to form at Juventus, where he spent seven seasons, winning the Serie A title three times – but lost the Champions League semi-final in 1999 to Manchester United.
Later in his career Davids had spells at Barcelona and Tottenham.
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