Celtic hero Emilio Izaguirre admits he was a target for Manchester United before a broken ankle scuppered his hopes of a move to the Premier League giant.
They say every cloud has a silver lining. And, as Emilio Izaguirre was consigned to six months on the sidelines following a horror injury during the summer of 2011, Celtic fans could at least sleep a little easier in the knowledge that one of their star men would no longer be heading south of the border.
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United were closing in on a £6.5 million deal, Izaguirre himself admitting at the time that Sir Alex Ferguson was leading talks with the Celtic hierarchy.
A broken ankle suffered only a fortnight later, however, proved to be something of a sliding doors’ moment in Izaguirre’s career. While Manchester United walked away, never to return, the Honduras international would eventually leave Celtic six years later, departing a genuine modern-day legend and with a remarkable collection of silverware weighing down his suitcase.
Celtic hero missed out on Manchester United move
“Both Manchester United and Liverpool asked about me,” Izaguirre recalls, speaking to Mundo Deportivo. “I was the best full-back in the Scottish League with about 20 assists. Many offers came.
“Even my people told me at the beginning of the season not to play because I had already arranged (a move to) a team in England. But I broke my ankle and Celtic were great to me.
“They renewed my contract. And, then, I was so grateful to Celtic that I never wanted to leave the club.”
‘I never wanted to leave’
After missing out on Izaguirre, Manchester United would eventually bring in the little-known Alexander Buttner from Vitesse Arnhem to act as back-up behind first-choice left-back Patrice Evra in Ferguson’s XI.
Now 34, Buttner is still going strong in the Dutch second tier with De Graafschap. Meanwhile, Izaguirre, three years Buttner’s senior, is working as the sporting director at Honduran outfit FC Motagua after hanging up his boots in 2022.
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