I was outside Old Trafford ahead of huge transfer when I was told I’d failed a medical – it was the lowest I’ve felt
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed how his move to the club almost completely collapsed.
Now coaching Dutch side PSV, Van Nistelrooy has lifted the lift on the “lowest” point of his footballing career.
Ahead of his transfer to Man Utd, Van Nistelrooy said he was very excited to sign for the club before he received a phone call from United saying he was going to fail his medical.
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet, he said: “My first attempt signing for Manchester United was the most anxious moment in my career.
“I did the whole medical in Manchester and we were driving up to Old Trafford to do the press conference to sign, and the phone rang.
“I was told by the orthopaedic surgeon from United who saw the MRI that my knee was not right, he said, ‘you have to turn around and go back to your hotel, you’re not going to pass a medical’.
“We turned the car around and I was seeing Old Trafford right in front of me.
“Once I got back to the hotel, the news already went out quickly to the press and there were photographers everywhere.
“The paparazzi were outside the room trying to get pictures and I had to close the curtains.
“I said, ‘what the freak is happening to me now’ – it felt like I was in a movie.
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“They said they’ll call me in an hour and confirmed that I could not go through with the transfer, so I had to go back to PSV Eindhoven, and we kept on going with my training, then I collapsed.
“I messed my whole knee up and that was live on Sky, who was there.
“I did an exercise with heading the ball and twisted my knee. When you’re so close to something so huge that you’ve worked your whole life for, and it’s not happening, you feel the lowest.”
Van Nistelrooy would eventually complete his move to Old Trafford in 2001.
The 46-year-old scored 150 goals across his five years in England.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson Van Nistelrooy won one Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup while winning the club’s player of the year award in his first season.