Sir Alex Ferguson came so close to signing John Obi Mikel 12 years ago, only for the Nigeria international to end up choosing Chelsea over Manchester United to the surprise of the Scotsman

Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson made some shrewd signings during his illustrious 26-year reign as Red Devils boss, but there were a few that got away.

One of the most notable examples was that of John Obi Mikel, a cult hero at Stamford Bridge after snubbing United’s interest in favour of a switch to Chelsea. Ferguson was certain that the Red Devils had won in their efforts to land Mikel’s signature in 2006, but the Blues pipped them to the post.

Things were close between Mikel and United, with the Nigerian international even meeting Ferguson before deciding to play for what was then Jose Mourinho’s side. He has since explained what happened and how the proposed switch to Old Trafford fell through after Chelsea came knocking.

Considering Mikel had already been pictured with a United shirt, it seemed like the deal was all but done. But the midfielder had other ideas, as he explained to beIN Sports while recalling a meeting with Ferguson after Chelsea’s hijacking of the move.

“I didn’t get one (hairdryer treatment), I thought I was going to! I had a meeting with him at the FA offices in London. He was invited to come down. The FA wanted to settle the whole story. I had a meeting face-to-face on a long table. It’s like watching Putin now sit with a long table and everyone sitting there.

“We were sitting across from each other and he was trying to convince me to come to Man United. He asked what are they giving you? Is it money? I’ll sign it right now, give me the paper.”

Mikel continued, discussing Ferguson’s emotional state after being told he wasn’t going to get his man. “He left the meeting so upset, flew back to Manchester same day. After a week it was settled.”