Edgar Davids has confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson made a compelling argument to bring him to Manchester United but he has no regrets at not joining the Reds.
The former Netherlands international has always admired the club, as he idolised Paul Ince, believing him to be the perfect midfielder.
Davids would go on to play against Ince, in a Milan derby, but could have been at Old Trafford, rather than the Rossoneri, had things panned out differently.
In an exclusive interview with MUTV at the 'Football City, Art United' exhibition in Manchester, the man nicknamed 'The Pitbull' relayed transfer talks with Ferguson that would have altered the course of his career.
“I mean it's really, how you say, that I look differently at United,”
he told us. “Because, you know, I already watched Manchester United as they had a player I really liked - Paul Ince.
”He was a midfielder who was unbelievable. I also played against him, when he played for Inter and I played for Milan.
“He was a big boy then and it was a really amazing derby. Him against Marcel Desailly, who was a big boy too, and that was like a big battle in the midfield.
“I got to talk to Sir Alex and it was one of the most incredible talks I ever had,”
he disclosed.
“But I had already made my mind up to go somewhere else [Milan].
”Yes, it was in 1996, when I was with Ajax, but it was just the way he [Ferguson] was. His personality and everything. It was a whole different level.
“I played against amazing players [at United], who started doing amazing things. When you play against certain teams, you then also follow the careers of these young players.
”But no regrets. I only considered Italy for me because Italy was the place I wanted to be. The best players were playing in Italy at the time, like it is now in the Premier League.“
Davids collaborated with American sculptor and video artist Paul Pfeiffer to produce the entrance to the exhibition, an incredibly atmospheric space that accurately portrays just what it is like to be in the players' tunnel before a big game, featuring sound recorded from a Milan derby at the San Siro.
“I was contacted by Juan Mata and he asked me if I wanted to join,”
said the 52-year-old. “I said sure and spoke to Paul and came up with the idea. He supported it, he's a very good, renowned artist, even having a show right now in Chicago. So we created this imaginary tunnel.
”I interviewed a couple of old players and everybody experienced it differently, so that's the fun part. That is why people ask me what do you want the public to experience but you have to experience it and just listen to it and try to feel what is going on. Only then can you tell us what you have experienced. Before, they can't really grasp or experience the tunnel and how it affects you.
“The Milan derby is one of the best atmospheres, with the rivalry going on, and you can also sense the intensity with the fans signing.”
'Football City, Art United' is being held at Aviva Studios in Manchester until 24 August.