Mikael Silvestre reveals why he joined Manchester United over Liverpool FC

The Frenchman joined Manchester United from Inter Milan back in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £4million

Mikael Silvestre has recalled why he opted to join Manchester United over arch-rivals Liverpool.

Silvestre spent a large chunk of his career at Old Trafford, but has now revealed how it could have been oh so different.

The Frenchman joined United from Inter Milan back in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £4million, and although he went on to become a regular for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, it was actually then Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier who was the first manager in England to make contact with him about signing.

“That summer, Marcello Lippi arrived at Inter and recruited another wing-back, Grigoris Georgatos, who was a bit older than me," he told FourFourTwo.

“My game time was going to diminish and I wanted to play. Gerard Houllier had been my coach at youth level in France, so we knew each other well, and he called to ask if I wanted to join Liverpool.

“He said he wanted me to play left-back for them, and that while the competition would be there, I was in a good position to start most games.

“However, Alex Ferguson phoned me a few days later to register his interest. The choice was easy to make, because United had just won the Treble.

“Sir Alex was like, “You’re going to play left-back and centre-back – I need you for both positions.” I remember that I arrived in Manchester on a Thursday and by Saturday I had already played my first game – at Anfield, of all places, against Liverpool!

“That was madness: I didn’t even know my team-mates or speak the language well. On matchday I had a brief chat with Houllier, who jokingly asked me, “Why didn’t you sign for us?” But he said he understood my choice.”

The full-back remained at Old Trafford until the summer of 2008, before he was deemed surplus to requirements following the rise of Patrice Evra and moved to Arsenal.

Silvestre also admitted he believes that Sir Alex Ferguson's relationship with David Beckham was strained after the famous 'boot' incident.

Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid in 2003 in a £24.5million deal.

The Englishman's time at Old Trafford saw him lift six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

However, Beckham left to move to Spain under a cloud after his relationship with Ferguson took a significant turn.

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After Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal, Beckham was on the receiving end of the famous 'hairdryer' treatment, which resulted in Ferguson kicking a boot which hit him in the face.

The two Manchester United legends had to be split apart and their relationship was never the same, states Silvestre, who witnessed the incident in the changing room.

"Yes, I was there. Everyone was shocked, but things like this happen in dressing rooms.

"It was a random kick by the boss – it was just unfortunate that the boot went straight into Beckham’s face! He was very angry; we had to intervene to prevent a confrontation.

"But that was the end of it then. Still, it impacted their relationship, and was probably among the reasons why David left that summer and signed for Real Madrid.".

During his time at Old Trafford, the Frenchman helped Ferguson’s side win four Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

The full interview with Mikael Silvestre is in the new FourFourTwo magazine which is available to buy in shops and online from Tuesday, May 26. Also in this month’s issue, a look back at the Noughties, the rise of El Clasico and fall of ITV Digital and look back at England’s Golden Generation.

For an exclusive Reach subscription offer, which includes three issues of FourFourTwo for £3 and free download, go to: https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/reach/.