'I turned down Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd twice – it was the right decision'

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Former Premier League striker Matt Jansen has no regrets about turning down Manchester United on two separate occasions. Jansen was amongst English football's brightest prospects in the early 2000s and looked destined for the 2002 World Cup before Sven-Goran Eriksson made a late decision to take an additional defender, Martin Keown, instead.

Later that summer, he sustained life-threatening injuries in a scooter accident while holidaying in Rome. Although he made a comeback to the game, Jansen was never quite the same player. He eventually dropped down the levels before transitioning into coaching, managing non-league Chorley before joining Stockport County, where he is now assistant first-team coach.

During his playing days, Jansen turned down two chances to join Sir Alex Ferguson's dominant side. The first opportunity arose while he was at hometown club Carlisle, then under the ownership of Michael Knighton, the businessman who almost bought the Red Devils in the late 1980s.

Jansen remembered being "touted around" alongside fellow prospect Rory Delap by Knighton and spent a week training with the Old Trafford club. He was then presented with a straightforward choice between United and Crystal Palace , opting for the Eagles as it guaranteed more first-team opportunities.

"My father gave Michael Knighton an ultimatum: give me a new contract or sell me," he said in association with Palentir Financial Planning.

"He came back to us and said the two biggest bids had come in from Palace and Manchester United, £1m plus add-ons. The decision was over to me.

"I'd just broken into the first team at Carlisle. I was loving the adulation and buzz from playing first-team football. I thought I'd have a better chance of continuing that at Palace, so opted for them over United."

However, as Jansen's star rose in south London, Palace found themselves in dire straits both on and off the pitch. He was told he was crucial to the Eagles' survival when larger clubs, including United, showed interest.

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Jansen was advised that choosing Blackburn would be financially beneficial for the struggling club. He recalled: "I loved playing in the Premier League for them but unfortunately we went down. The club then got sold. It was a whirlwind of an experience.

" Terry Venables came in [as manager], Mark Goldberg bought the club off Ron Noades. But the money dried up and I became an asset they needed to cash in on.

"I came in one morning and [manager] Steve Coppell said to me, 'You're not playing today, we've accepted a £5m bid from Juventus . I was like 'Wow!' I was buzzing with that. The next minute it was Chelsea , Newcastle , Arsenal and again Manchester United, all £5m bids. I had a choice to make.

"At the 11th hour, Blackburn came in. Jack Walker [Blackburn's owner] said he would pay £4.1m but he was going to pay it all up front. Palace told me it would have saved the club. I don't know if it would have saved the club or not, but they asked me if I would be willing to go there."

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At that point, Blackburn were a well-established Premier League outfit who had pipped United to the title just a few seasons prior. Jansen explained: "Brian Kidd [Ferguson's long-time assistant at United] had become manager. I knew him from my week training at United.

"So to help Crystal Palace out, I opted to go to Blackburn, which I don't regret. I loved it there. Unfortunately, we got relegated and Brian got the sack. In came Graeme Souness. He steadied the ship and we got promoted."

Jansen subsequently helped Blackburn to League Cup glory in 2002, netting the opener before setting up Andy Cole's winner in a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in Cardiff .

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Jansen harbours no regrets about rejecting United and passing up the opportunity to play under Ferguson. He said: "At Crystal Palace, I was playing first-team football and was quickly turning heads with Juventus, Arsenal, Newcastle and United again [showing interest].

"I loved my time at Blackburn. My career was progressing and, who knows, if I hadn't had the accident, the time may have come for me to go to Manchester United.

"At that time, it was just too soon [to go to United] I thought, so I decided to go to Palace. And going to Blackburn was the right decision. The wrong decision was getting on a scooter in Rome!"

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