'I snubbed Man City interest to sign for Man Utd – my mind was made up straight away' - The Mirror

Former Manchester United defender Denis Irwin has spoken about how close he came to signing for Manchester City before joining Sir Alex Ferguson's side

Manchester United legend Denis Irwin rejected the chance to join their closest rivals before completing his move to Old Trafford.

Irwin was one of the first names on Sir Alex Ferguson’s teamsheet as United dominated throughout the 1990s. When discussing his best-ever United XI in 2013, Ferguson admitted Irwin “would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of 10.”

The full-back made 529 appearances for the club, placing him 11th on the all-time list, and chipped in with 22 goals. Across Irwin’s 12-year stint at United, Ferguson’s side won 14 major honours, including seven Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the 1999 Champions League.

Arriving from Oldham Athletic for £625,000 in 1990, the Republic of Ireland international was later described by Ferguson as his greatest pound-for-pound signing. However, Irwin could have become a hero on the other side of Manchester if he had been won over by interest from City.

“There were no Bosman transfers back in those days, so I let my contract run out,” Irwin said on Stick to Football, sponsored by Sky Bet. “I wanted to move on, and there were a few clubs interested. [If your contract runs out,] You can move, but if they don’t agree a price it goes to a tribunal.

“They eventually agreed on a price – when Manchester United come calling, you have to go there. Manchester City were looking at me too – Peter Reid was up there. I made the right decision, though!”

It was not necessarily an easy choice. United had just won the FA Cup but had previously struggled in Ferguson’s first few years as manager while City were building a promising side at Maine Road. However, Irwin's signing was an important puzzle piece as Ferguson built his first of several United teams that dominated English football.

“City were looking at me, Sheffield Wednesday were too, and they were decent sides,” Irwin explained. “When I joined United, City finished above us in our first year, but I spoke to Sir Alex at Old Trafford, and it was done.

“There was no given at that time; they’d just won the FA Cup, but it was no given that we’d do what we did in the 90s. But when I grew up in Ireland, United were huge.”

Irwin was first-choice under Ferguson for a decade before rotating with a young Phil Neville towards the end of his career. He left Old Trafford in 2002, spending two years with Wolves, who he supported growing up, before hanging up his boots aged 38.

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