Patrick Vieira has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to bring him to Manchester United, but the French midfielder decided to remain at Arsenal because he felt he was in the right place to develop and win trophies.
Vieira explained that he and Ferguson met and discussed the Manchester United manager’s plans. Sir Alex Ferguson even outlined the kind of team he wanted to build, with Vieira playing alongside some of United’s biggest stars.
“He wanted to play me with Roy Keane, (Ryan) Giggs on the left-hand side, David Beckham on the right-hand side and (Paul) Scholes to play behind (Ruud) Van Nistelrooy,” Vieira recalled while talking to Sky Sports.
It was certainly an appealing proposition, but Vieira had little interest in leaving Arsenal at that stage of his career.
Vieira explains why he rejected Manchester United
The former Arsenal captain said he was happy at the club and believed something special was developing in north London. That feeling ultimately made the decision easier.
“But I couldn’t leave Arsenal, I was too happy there and we were on the way of building something quite really special for the club and that’s the way it was,” Vieira said.
He also pointed to the importance of feeling valued by the people around him.
“When you do well, of course there’s teams who are interested and then you have to make a decision,” he added.
“But the decision for me was to stay at Arsenal because I felt the love from the club, from the players and from the fans.”
Vieira’s decision proved to be an important one in the story of Arsenal’s great teams under Arsene Wenger. For United, meanwhile, it offers another glimpse into the players Ferguson identified while building his squads and what could have been a brilliant star in the midfield.
