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Paul Gascoigne: I Should Have Joined Manchester United

The former England international regrets not taking up the Red Devils' offer to sign for them as a youngster...

Mar 20, 2009 8:24:24 AM

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Paul Gascoigne (AFP)

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Former England international midfielder Paul Gascoigne has admitted he regrets rejecting the opportunity to sign for Manchester United.

The 41-year-old has revealed that the Red Devils came close to landing him from Newcastle United when he was around 21-years-old, but he opted for Tottenham Hotspur instead.

"Maybe if I had stayed at Man U I might have been still there," Gascoigne is quoted as saying in The Daily Mirror.

"I don't know, you just look at these players and the squad of young kids that play, young [Wayne] Rooney that's there, the Neville brothers [Gary and Phil] and ‘Becks’ [David Beckham], the way he [manager Alex Ferguson] just brought them on and there are so many.

"I got invited to the academy and it is a magnificent place. You can see the way he treats his players; he treats them with respect but he also makes men out of boys.

"It took me six years to get back talking to Sir Alex. I called him from Lazio and asked him would he re-sign us.

"He was with Eric Cantona and he said he would see what Eric Cantona was going to do but I think everyone knows if you do something to Sir Alex Ferguson the way I did you don't get a second chance."

Ricky Brooks, Goal.com