Paul Scholes has revealed he thought his days at Manchester United were numbered when Sir Alex Ferguson signed Juan Sebastian Veron in 2001.
Ferguson broke the British transfer record to sign the Argentinian midfielder from Lazio for £28.1 million, with Veron then 26 and entering the prime years of his career.
He arrived with a huge reputation, having been a key player in the Lazio side that won the treble under Sven Goran Eriksson in the 1999/2000 season.
Advert
And the midfielder looked to have begun to deliver on his big transfer fee during his early days at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award in September after scoring three goals.
But Veron struggled with consistency and was unable to fully adapt to Premier League football, despite his strong performances in the Champions League.
The Argentinian would leave the club two years after his signing to join Chelsea, who had just been taken over by Roman Abramovich.
Advert
Injury problems limited his impact at Stamford Bridge, and he was quickly loaned out by Jose Mourinho upon his arrival at the club a year later.
Now, Scholes has opened up on the moment Veron signed - thinking the move could signal the end of his illustrious spell at Old Trafford.
Paul Scholes on Juan Sebastian Veron
Speaking to FIVE's Harry Pinero, he explained: "When Veron signed, at that stage in my career, I was thinking about going forward a lot, and attacking from midfield.
Advert
"We were very similar players. I loved him, I thought he was an unbelievable footballer from watching him at Lazio.
"We signed him for £28-30 million. I thought, 'Yeah, I might have to go now'. You do, of course you do. You've signed such a brilliant player, thinking, 'Can I live up to that?'
"It's a different mentality, isn't it? You can say, 'Right, that's it, I'm going. I'll go and see the manager, I'm not playing'. Or you can put your head down, and try and play."
Scholes went on to remain at Old Trafford for another 12 years - with a small break inbetween when he briefly retired in 2011.
Advert
He netted 20 goals in all competitions in the 2002/03 season, underlining his attacking skills that he mentioned, before reverting back to a deeper role as time went on. Ferguson will be glad that the England midfielder didn't go anywhere.
Featured Image Credit: Getty / FIVETopics: Paul Scholes, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson
