Liverpool had shown an interest in Nemanja Vidic before his move to Manchester United, but Sir Alex Ferguson acted quickly to beat their rivals to his signature
Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic has confessed he considered signing for arch-rivals Liverpool before his move to Old Trafford. Vidic had impressed at Spartak Moscow and was quickly snapped up by United for £7million in December 2005, officially joining the Red Devils a month later.
The centre-back, who recently expressed his ambition to manage United one day, had been linked with a move to Old Trafford two years earlier. Vidic soon demonstrated why Sir Alex Ferguson had been a long-term admirer, establishing himself as one of the best defenders of the Premier League era.
During his eight-and-a-half-year stint at United, Vidic won 10 major honours, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008. However, Vidic had also caught the eye of Liverpool and another Premier League club before Ferguson swooped in to secure his services.
"Yes, we talked [with Liverpool boss Rafa Benítez] maybe once or twice, but nothing happened for two or three weeks," Vidic revealed on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet. "David O'Leary wanted to bring me to Aston Villa too, but they didn't have the money. I had dinner with David O'Leary – he came to Moscow."
However, Vidic's decision was straightforward once the United boss got in touch. "Fergie just called me once and asked if I wanted to play for [Manchester] United, I said yes and that was done in four days," he recalled.
Vidic made 15 appearances in the latter half of the 2005/06 season, but it was the subsequent campaign where he and Rio Ferdinand began to forge their iconic partnership, leading United to their first league title in four years. Having missed out on Vidic, Liverpool signed defenders Jan Kromkamp and Daniel Agger in the January window, while Villa struggled to a 16th-place finish.
"I was happy to go to Aston Villa, but they didn't have money at the time – that's what David O'Leary told me," Vidic explained. "Liverpool were waiting too long, and Sir Alex Ferguson came in quickly and did the deal in four days."
Vidic has admitted that the speed of his move to Old Trafford meant he forgot to mention his wage demands, which initially led him to take a pay cut for his big-money move to the Premier League. "When I met him [Sir Alex Ferguson] was when I signed the contract with him and David Gill," Vidic admitted. "The mistake I made at the time was that I said I wanted to play for United but I didn't say for how much money!
"For me at the time, it wasn't about the money – I wanted to test myself. If I wanted more money, it would've been better for me to stay in Moscow.
"I had double the money in Moscow than I did in Manchester when I came. Obviously, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill told me don't worry and that, this contract is just the beginning, and then if I played 50 games – it doesn't matter if it's 5 or 10 minutes – we'll change the contract. After 20-25 games, I signed a new contract."
Ferguson improved United's defence through Vidic's arrival, marking another pivotal piece in his plan to overthrow Jose Mourinho's dominant Chelsea side. With Edwin van der Sar and Park Ji-sung signing months earlier and soon joined by Patrice Evra, Vidic would go on to form the backbone of United's success.
Having been part of a successful United side, Vidic recently took aim at the club's failures in the post-Ferguson era. The 43-year-old blamed the huge wages paid to players and the lack of football expertise within the club's hierarchy during Ed Woodward's time as chief executive.
Vidic was given the armband in 2010, lifting two league titles as captain. Upon signing Vidic, Ferguson declared: "Good defenders win you things. This lad is really natural and athletic. You need good defenders and that is exactly what this lad is."