I still can’t stand Manchester United, even after rejecting them twice in five years.

The acquisitions of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bruno Fernandes, and others over the years demonstrate that joining a team the size and grandeur of Manchester United, despite their continued problems since Sir Alex Ferguson’s time, is still an intriguing proposition for young and aspiring players.

 

Many players, both current and former, have declined the opportunity to enjoy the attention of Old Trafford in favor of staying at their clubs or moving elsewhere in the hopes of finding plenty of success elsewhere.

And that includes striker-turned-pundit Alan Shearer, who, with 260 goals in 441 games, is still the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer. Despite being a skilled shooter in the top division, the Englishman was passed over twice by the Red Devils.

Shearer was born and reared in Newcastle upon Tyne, and during his 704-game professional career, he played for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, and Newcastle United. Even though he may never have had the opportunity to perform at Old Trafford, he made the decision to do so. His career could have been shaped by the transfer, which could have changed it. However, why did Shearer, who is considered to be among the greatest English football players of all time, turn down two possible transfers to the team that dominated the top division at the time?

 

In 2018, Shearer, a 54-year-old striker-turned-pundit who was courted twice by the Red Devils, responded to a fan who asked: “Do you ever think ‘What if I’d signed for Manchester United?'” Shearer claimed he still couldn’t bear the Stretford-based team.

 

Shearer retaliated at the fan, saying that joining Manchester United to further his career was never in the cards, and he did it without hesitation. He wr

ote:NEVER! I can’t stand them now, just as I couldn’t back then!

In 1992, Shearer had his first opportunity to take the risk and become a member of Ferguson’s winning streak at Old Trafford. Manchester United was forced to sign Eric Cantona after the talisman joined Blackburn, and the rest is history. The Frenchman, who helped the Red Devils win the FA Cup and multiple league titles, was as mysterious as they came.

Ferguson and his well-trained team were able to re-enter the market for the highly sought-after Shearer, whose stock was at its peak, in just four years. In the 1995–96 season, he only managed 37 goals and 10 assists for the Rovers.