Laurent Blanc has opened up on his regret of not signing for Manchester United earlier in his career and the phone call he had with Sir Alex Ferguson five years before joining.
The Frenchman spent two years at Old Trafford from 2001 onwards but the Red Devils had been attempting to sign the defender throughout the latter end of the 1990s.
Blanc finally arrived as a 36-year-old replacement for Jaap Stam following the Dutchman's departure for Lazio, initially penning a one-year deal in the north west.
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He impressed so much in his first season that he agreed fresh terms for 2002-03 and would play a prominent part in United winning the Premier League title that term, upon which he retired.
Now the ex- Paris Saint-Germain manager has lifted the lid of how Ferguson wanted to sign him during his prime years, during which he notably helped France to the 1998 World Cup and European Championship title in 2000, as well as starring for the likes of Barcelona and Inter Milan at club level.
In a recent interview, Blanc told Spanish outlet Panenka, via Sport Witness : "I was 36 years old when I arrived in Manchester, and I had a more than done career, but the funny thing is that when I arrived in Barcelona [in 1996], Sir Alex Ferguson called me.
"He asked me to sign for United, but I couldn’t go, I had already signed with Barca," explained Blanc.
But Ferguson would acquire his long-term target after the turn of the century, with the experienced centre-back becoming a key figure at the club and helping numerous Red Devils youngsters blossom in defence.
"Five years later, he came back for me and convinced me," Blanc continued.
"He told me: ‘I want you to work with more for at least one year. I have very young defenders, like the Neville brothers, Rio Ferdinand, West Brown… and you have a lot of experience’."
The 55-year-old admitted: "It was incredible, and now I regret not having gone to England earlier."
Having been beaten to the title by Arsenal in his first campaign, Blanc and co pipped Arsene Wenger 's side by five points in 2003, after which he called time on his glittering career.
His leadership skills at Marseille, where he left Barcelona for after just one year and three trophies in Catalonia, earned him the nickname of 'Le President.'
Blanc is now the current manager of Qatari side Al-Rayyan, whom former Everton and Real Madrid star James Rodriguez recently signed for.
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And Blanc took his qualities into management, notably being the man to lead France at Euro 2012, where they crashed out at the quarter-final stage to eventual winners and continental conquerors Spain.
Three strong years at Bordeaux in his first managerial post had earned him the chance with the national team, stepping down after the tournament and joined newly-mega-rich PSG 12 months later following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.
He spent another three seasons at the Parc des Princes before leaving via mutual consent in 2016 in an agreement which "preserved the interests of both parties."
Blanc has been a boss in Qatar since December 2020, having been briefly linked with replacing Jose Mourinho prior to ex-team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's arrival as manager at United two years prior.
