Man City looked at signing me – but there was never any doubt I was joining Man Utd

Manchester United legend Denis Irwin turned down the opportunity to join Manchester City before making his move to Old Trafford.

The full-back was a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson's team as United dominated the 1990s, but could have been a City icon. In 2013, when discussing his all-time best United XI, Ferguson confessed that Irwin "would be the one certainty to get in the team - I called him an eight out of 10".

He made a total of 529 appearances for the club, ranking 11th on the all-time list, and won seven league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League, amongst other major honours. Signed from Oldham Athletic for £625,000 in 1990, Irwin was later hailed by Ferguson as his greatest pound-for-pound transfer.

The Republic of Ireland international had also attracted interest from City, then managed by Howard Kendall, before Ferguson swooped in for the Oldham defender. "There were no Bosman transfers back in those days, so I let my contract run out," Irwin shared on Stick to Football, sponsored by Sky Bet.

"I wanted to move on, and there were a few clubs interested. [If your contract runs out] you can move, but if they don't agree a price it goes to a tribunal. They eventually agreed on a price – when Manchester United come calling, you have to go there. Manchester City were looking at me too – Peter Reid was up there. I made the right decision, though!"

While Irwin was a vital player as Ferguson built a dynasty at United, the club were not quite the force they would become later in the decade. The team had won the 1990 FA Cup, giving Ferguson his first trophy as United boss, but were still competing with an improving City team in the league table.

"City were looking at me, Sheffield Wednesday were too, and they