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Sir Alex Ferguson convinced Nemanja Vidic to sign for Manchester United(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic has confessed he considered signing for arch-rivals Liverpool before his move to Old Trafford.

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 Beni?tez] maybe once or twice, but nothing happened for two or three weeks," Vidic revealed on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet.

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.

United fought off competition for Vidic's signature(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

"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.

If I wanted more money, it would've been better for me to stay in Moscow.

United won five league titles in a seven-year spell during Vidic's time at the club(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

"I had double the money in Moscow than I did in Manchester when I came.
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