The late, great Jack Charlton was a one-club man throughout his playing career - but there was a time when he almost had his head turned by Leeds United's great rivals in the red half of Manchester.
Charlton, who passed away on Friday at home in Northumberland at the age of 85, managed the Republic of Ireland to great success for a decade from 1986 to 1996. But his playing career was not to be sniffed at.
Charlton sat down for an interview for the April/May 2001 edition of 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds' - with the interview re-published on the club's official website after his passing. Charlton recalled discussions with Manchester United going so far as a meeting with Matt Busby.
"I'd actually been to see Matt Busby at Man United with the idea that I might go there. He asked me to hang on until the September - he was going to have a look at a lad that was coming through before he went out and bought anybody.
"And I said, 'No - no way. I've caused havoc at Elland Road because I was coming to see you. It was you who told me not to sign a new contract with Leeds... I'm going to go back and apologise to them and sign a new contract and bugger you - I'm not coming here!'
7️⃣7️⃣3️⃣ appearances
2️⃣3️⃣ years
1️⃣ club pic.twitter.com/PgqhXb3Er0— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 11, 2020
"So I went back to Elland Road, saw Don and did exactly that. The attitude of the trainers to me after that was completely different. Everything took off from there."
Charlton also spoke about his relationship with legendary Leeds manager Don Revie - how it developed over time, but wasn't all that friendly at the beginning.
"Not really, no. It was only when I realised that there was something different happening in the club. Then the training there we longer just trainers - they were also coaches - they knew what the game was about. They knew how to improve you as a player.
"When he first got the job, he said to me: 'You've got enough ability, if you were to screw the nut and do the job right, you could play for England.' I said, 'Don't be stupid.' I'd never seen myself in the light at all. And sure enough when I'd decided that Leeds United was where I was going to be, there were changes made and were working in a way I understood and liked.
"It was a big turning point for me because when Don came, I never expected him to change things in the way he did. It became a case of coming back after training in the afternoons to work on things that you were good at and on things you weren't good at. That meant everyone; Billy, Gilsey, whoever."
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