‘I agreed a six-year deal at Man United then but failed my medical – I was left in tears’: £80m star midfielder who failed Man united medical says He still wish to be part of Man united plan if given the chance
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has explained how he was left “in tears” after his proposed move to Old Trafford looked to have fallen through.
Having come through the ranks at West Ham United during the 1980s, Ince moved to Old Trafford to join Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United in 1989. But, complications during his medical almost led to Ince having to return to the Hammers.
Ince failed his medical, which he believed would scupper his chances of playing for Sir Alex. Of course, the move did eventually go through on Ferguson’s say so, leading to Ince winning two Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
“I was in the process of agreeing a contract with John Lyall and West Ham for the next three or four years,” Ince explained to talkSPORT about his Hammers exit.
“I was living in a rough area where my car kept getting cut. It kept getting sliced up because it was outside a pub called the Pipers’ Arms. Lou Macari came in – and the contract wasn’t there. It was £1,000-a-week, and it was decided that, at my age, that wasn’t something I should be getting. That was the start.”
Ince returned to West Ham from his holiday break at the time still believing he would be a United player, only for his failed medical to make things even more tricky.
“That made it 10x worse,” Ince revealed. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go back to West Ham now’. I was in tears, my wife was in tears. We agreed a six-year deal and I failed the medical.
“I had to sit in the stands at West Ham and I kept getting caned. Then I got a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson and he said, ‘We don’t care if you’ve got a little problem with your groins. We’re making this happen’. He kept his words’:
