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Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed he agreed to join Fiorentina before joining United in December 2005.
The Serbian initially struggled to adapt to the rigors of English football following his £7m move from Spartak Moscow on Christmas Day.
Fortunately, the Serb will be arguably the club’s biggest Christmas present as he forms a strong defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand.
Vidic went on to make 300 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring a total of 21 goals.
He also played a pivotal role in the club’s success during that era, winning every trophy imaginable, including the 2008 Champions League.
But the Serb insisted history could have been so different as he had already signed deals with other teams before signing on the dotted line at Old Trafford.
He told Sky Sports: “In life, when people start saying nice things about you, a lot of people become interested. “I had interest from Fiorentina and I agreed to go there and then I came to Liverpool.”
He revealed that his English was not good enough to communicate effectively with then-Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, but he was “eager” to bring him to Anfield.
Fortunately for all United fans, no agreement was reached between the two clubs and Sir Alex Ferguson swooped in to sign the sensational centre-back.
Vidic claimed: “Sir Alex Ferguson called me three weeks after Rafa started and asked, ‘Do you want to play for Manchester United?’ “I said ‘yes’ and he said ‘Just leave it to me.’”
“Sir Alex Ferguson called me when Rafa was about three weeks old.” G.W.
Nemanja Vidic almost went to Liverpool instead of Manchester United 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/99TqRXOdWl
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 27, 2024
The United teams of that era were full of incredible talent, so it’s likely they would have been successful anyway.
Nonetheless, the signings of Vidic and Patrice Evra in the 2006 winter transfer window, along with Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar, played a decisive role in revolutionizing United’s defence, forming the backbone of Ferguson’s all-conquering team. formed.
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