‘I snubbed Man Utd despite the fact Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane and David Gill all wanted me’

John Obi Mikel famously signed for Chelsea successful 2006 aft initially agreeing to articulation Manchester United, and the midfielder has present revealed conscionable however overmuch the Red Devils wanted him

John Obi Mikel has lifted the lid connected his determination to snub Manchester United for Chelsea, contempt the efforts of Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill and Roy Keane to unafraid his signature.

The 37-year-old, who became a Chelsea icon aft joining the Premier League heavyweights successful 2006 and remained with the nine until 2017, boasts 2 Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy to his name.

However, his illustrious vocation successful westbound London could person taken a antithetic way arsenic helium appeared to person signed for United successful 2005 earlier making his determination to Stamford Bridge. While astatine Norwegian nine Lyn, a 17-year-old Mikel trained with the Red Devils and impressed truthful overmuch that helium inked a pre-contract with United.

A property league was adjacent staged with the ex-Nigeria planetary donning the club's location kit, but Chelsea intervened, asserting they had already struck a woody to motion Mikel aft helium caught Jose Mourinho's oculus portion grooming with the Blues successful 2004.

Mikel met with Sir Alex and expressed his privation to articulation Chelsea, starring to Ferguson leaving the country aft failing to unafraid his target. Speaking connected the Obi One podcast past year, helium recounted his brushwood with the legendary Scotsman and however keen the erstwhile United brag was for him to join.

"I was s****ing myself, I was similar 'should I spell truthful hullo oregon what', helium was sitting implicit determination with a mates of friends, David Gill was there, the erstwhile main enforcement [of Manchester United], I was similar 'oh my God he's sitting with the full gang, the full Mafia is there'," Mikel confessed, reports the Manchester Evening News.

"I was reasoning bash I spell implicit and accidental hullo and I was similar 'f*** it', it's been f***ing 18 years, I'm definite by present [he'll speech to me]. I went implicit and said 'hi boss', he's similar 'oh is it the 1 that got away'.

"It was an astonishing clip for maine to spot him due to the fact that I haven't seen him successful specified a agelong clip and to yet shingle his manus and talk to him aft everything that went connected and helium was truthful astonishing astir it. I uncertainty if I met him 10 years ago, it would person been overmuch different."

The Chelsea fable disclosed that Gill told him conscionable however overmuch accent his transportation saga caused him arsenic helium added: "He wanted maine large time, adjacent David Gill was talking astir it and helium told a person of excavation 'he [Mikel] turned my hairsbreadth grey, the full transportation saga turned maine grey.

"It conscionable showed however overmuch they truly wanted me, Fergie and David Gill wanted me, the players wanted me, Keano wanted me. Roy Keane utilized to beryllium the man, helium was the protector, I retrieve each clip Sir Alex had to prime a team, helium utilized to instrumentality maine unneurotic with Keano to support maine from Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt."

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