Former Inter Milan defender Francesco Coco has revealed he turned down Arsenal and Manchester United, even before he moved to Barcelona on loan.
Calciomercato cover an interview with the former defender today in which he insists he wasn’t interested in Arsenal or Manchester United.
Coco spent most of his career playing in Milan, first joining AC Milan as a youngster in 1993 and moving up their ranks to make 79 appearances in the first team.
He headed to Barcelona on loan in 2001 before then moving across Milan in a €22.5m deal in 2002, spending the next three years at Inter and making 41 appearances in all competitions for the club.
He was successful at both, winning two Serie A titles for AC Milan before adding a Coppa Italia title to his collection at Inter Milan in 2005. He also managed 17 appearances for Italy from 2000 to 2002.
Unfortunately, his time at Inter was blighted by injuries, with Coco later admitting to a mistake in undergoing back surgery that left him out for two years.
He did find himself linked with England, with Newcastle and Manchester City trialling him later in his career before eventually deciding not to progress with a move.
That wasn’t the first time a move to England was on the cards, though, with him insisting Arsenal and Manchester United were keen at points.
“I didn’t want to play anywhere else, honestly,” he said.
“Then I played in other teams, it’s true, but I was very lucky to be born in Milan and for me it was the number one club in the world and the strongest team. And I didn’t even think about going elsewhere because I was already at the top.
“I left, for many reasons, but not because I wanted to. I turned down many teams, even before Barcelona I turned down Manchester United, Arsenal. I was where I wanted to be.”
