Sir Alex reveals why Man Utd rejected Silva
The 73-year-old, who was tracking the midfielder
while at Valencia, had doubts over the player's
ability to contribute defensively as Manchester
City paid £24 million in 2010 Sir Alex Ferguson has
revealed Manchester United opted out of signing
David Silva because of doubts over the
Manchester City man's ability to contribute in
defence.
The 29-year-old was playing for Valencia at the
time and being followed by a number of Europe’s
biggest clubs, before joining City for a reported
£24 million in the summer of 2010.
Silva has since made over 200 appearances for
City, helping them win two league titles and the FA
Cup, but Sir Alex was unconvinced by the player's
ability to fit in with his team's mentality at Old
Trafford.
"We watched Silva a lot when he was at Valencia,"
the Scotsman revealed in an interview promoting
his new book.
"My problem with [Silva playing as a No.10] was
you have to be very, very good to play in that
position, because there's no defensive duties for
them.
"So if you're wanting to be be really successful,
everyone has to take their turn, has to work, you
know? So I had a difficulty with that."
Ferguson, however, did concede that a number of
the game's finest players built their reputations in
the No.10 position.
He added: "You could say Lionel Messi was a
No.10 type, [Diego] Maradona, some fantastic
players, and I don't dispute that.
"But at United we always found it difficult. The
kind of No.10 I used came from my experience as
a footballer."
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