“It was mad” – Aaron Ramsey explains why he rejected Manchester United for Arsenal
Aaron Ramsey apparently rejected a move to Manchester United in 2008 because Arsenal felt like 'the right decision' for him.
Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger personally contacted the player to convince him to join their respective teams a little over 15 years ago. The-then 17-year-old finished the 2007-08 season with two goals and three assists in 21 games across competitions for Cardiff City.
This included a 30-minute cameo in Cardiff's 1-0 FA Cup final loss against Portsmouth that season. Ramsey's father was a Manchester United fan, but the midfielder still chose to join Arsenal in a €5 million deal.
Speaking about the move to the Emirates, the 32-year-old recently told FourFourTwo in an interview:
"I was always a Cardiff supporter, but my dad was a Manchester United fan and I watched them quite a lot with him. It was a strange time in my life, to have two teams I’d watched so much as a child showing interest in me. I spoke to both managers on the phone a few times.
"I was 17 years old and I was getting voicemails from Fergie and Arsene Wenger! It was mad. Arsenal felt like the right decision for me. I remember showing up to training on my first day and seeing Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas... I had to pinch myself..."
Ramsey spent 11 years on the club's books, winning five trophies and registering 64 goals and 66 assists in 369 senior games. He left on a free transfer for Juventus in 2019 and is currently back at his boyhood club, Cardiff, after joining them this summer.
Manchester United legend believes Arsenal need to keep three players fully fit for PL title charge
Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba will be pivotal in Arsenal's title charge this season.
Gabriel and Saliba are Mikel Arteta's trusted centre-back pairing while Rice was signed for £105 million from West Ham United in the summer. The trio was pivotal in the Gunners' 1-0 league win over Manchester City on October 8.
After the game, Neville told Sky Sports:
"Those two centre-halves - Gabriel and William Saliba - were pivotal against City, they were outstanding playing against the best player in the world in that position [Erling Haaland]. The two centre-backs and Rice are the most important players to keep fit. They won't win the league without them."
Arsenal are currently second in the table with 20 points from eight matches. They trail league leaders Tottenham Hotspur on goals scored and the two north London outfits are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League so far this season.