Arsenal hero says Alex Ferguson couldn’t convince him to sign for Man Utd | Soccer

The defender had two spells with the Gunners, starting his second when he left Everton in 1993 and would go on to make 422 appearances before leaving in 2004.

This incredible period saw him win three Premier League titles and three FA Cups as Arsenal battled Manchester United for the biggest prizes in English football.

The former England defender says everything could have been very different, admitting he was very tempted to join the Red Devils when they showed an interest in him.

Keown went so far as to meet Ferguson at Old Trafford, but says the Scot was unable to convince him to join the club.

‘Sir Alex Ferguson was apparently trying to sign me for two seasons,’ wrote Keown in his new autobiography ‘On The Edge’ via Mail+.

“We walked into the meeting room that overlooks the Old Trafford pitch and I was thinking: “This is the club. Look at the players they have. This could be very important for me.”

‘Ferguson seemed like a very gentle, soft-spoken man, very pleasant. I saw none of the anger I knew, very well.

“They offered half of what they offered me elsewhere and said they only paid defenders what they offered me. I said, “It’s not just about money. Can we get on the field?”

‘Then Ferguson took a chain full of keys and went through them one by one, trying to open the green doors next to the turnstile. I started to understand that maybe it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t feeling the love. There was no fanfare, they hadn’t rolled out a red carpet for me.

“I asked him what would he suggest I do as a father figure or as a friend? What advice would he give? “You have to think about your family.” And that’s not what I wanted to hear. What I wanted to hear was, “I want you to sign for me. You do well in the first two years and don’t worry about the salary. I will resolve this.

‘I have no regrets about not joining the team that would become my biggest rival.’

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