Vidic: I nearly joined Liverpool

Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed he came close to joining Liverpool before Alex Ferguson convinced him to make the move to Old Trafford instead.

The centre-back was pondering leaving Spartak Moscow for the Anfield side in 2006, only for arch-rivals United to step in and hijack the deal.

“Yes [I nearly joined Liverpool]. Rafa Benitez called me and I nearly went there,” Vidic told FourFourTwo.

“I was interested in going but my English wasn’t good and I was struggling to communicate.

“Then Manchester United came. Fergie called me at my apartment and said: ‘I watched you play for Serbia against France – I want you here.’ United were decisive. Everything was done very quickly, within two days.”

Vidic went on to become a key figure at United, winning five Premier League titles before eventually leaving the club for Inter in 2014.

He hung up his boots back in January, but is adamant he wants to return to the game in a managerial capacity.

“I would like to be a manager, but only if I had the opportunity first to be a coach and learn from someone for maybe one or two years,” he added.

“I would take the experiences I had of the managers I’ve worked under.

“Nemanja the manager won’t be the same Nemanja that you saw on the pitch. They are two completely different roles.”