10 World-Class Players You Didn’t Know Man Utd Nearly Signed
2. Arjen Robben
There can be little doubt that Arjen Robben joining Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in 2004 instead ofUnited hurts the clubs supporters more now than it did 11 years ago. The Dutchman is a rare breed of player; a winger who was injury prone when younger who has got stronger and even better with age. Even now at the age of 30, Robben seems to be improving. Back then, he was a 19 year oldsensation with PSV and was being linked with moves to the worlds biggest teams.With the likes of Lee Sharpe, Ryan Giggs, Andrei Kanchelskis, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo,Ferguson had always been a fan of effective wingers and saw in Robben a player who could light upOld Trafford. Something else Ferguson became known for was looking for value in the market, which may be what led him to offer a mere 5 million pounds for Robbens services. PSV rejected the bid as derisory and instead accepted Chelseas bid of 12 million. Robben went on to flourish at Stamford Bridge before moving on to Real Madrid and then Bayern Munich.
