Everton new-boy James Rodriguez has revealed Manchester United tried to acquire his services eight years ago.
In 2012, a then 21-year-old Rodriguez was making waves with FC Porto - catching the eye of several teams across Europe with a slew of impressive performances for Vítor Pereira's side.
Among the teams impressed by the Colombia international were Manchester United, who offered the winger a contract at Old Trafford.
"I believe it was in 2012," Rodriguez recalled of United's interest in signing him during an interview with BT Sport.
"The club [Man Utd] had offered me something, but in the end that didn't happen because of some reason I don't know.
"But well - football always leads you to the correct path, to a team where you can actually play well."
United's failure to capture Rodriguez paved the way for the Colombian to join Ligue 1 side Monaco, whom he spent a solitary season with before leaving them to join Spanish giants Real Madrid after an impressive showing at the 2014 World Cup.
'If it didn't happen, it was for some consistent reason," Rodriguez continued. "Maybe I wasn't ready for it, or maybe it was because I was made to play in another great team.
"In the end, I had the opportunity to go to France, and that was the path that I could follow."
Rodriguez - who will be in action against United later today- is a long-term admirer of the Old Trafford club, telling Rio Ferdinand: "We always dreamed of getting to a big club, and since I was a child, I always admired Manchester.
"I always saw those teams with Rio together with [Ryan] Giggs and [Paul] Scholes. There were a lot of prodigious players and I wanted to get there in that year. But it didn’t happen.
"I thought I had to play for a club that wasn’t so big.
"So, I went to France just before the World Cup and my plan was to go to the World Cup, have a great tournament, score goals, reach a good level and then play for a big club."
Rodriguez and his Everton team-mates will welcome Manchester United to Goodison Park this afternoon.
