Paul Ince has shared his side of the story of how he was sold from Man United. Sir Alex Ferguson has also spoken about this incident in his autobiography and said that Ince was already in contact with Inter Milan and helped complete the move.
Ince's version of events went a little like this: “I was playing golf at Mottram Hall, with Giggsy [Ryan Giggs]. We got to the 16th and my phone rang and it was Sir Alex saying, ‘I need to see you’.
"So I said, ‘Ok, gaffer.’ And I was thinking – what have I done? It’s like a kid going to see the headmaster. I was thinking ‘No, I didn’t go out last night!’
“So my mind is going like that and I said, ‘Ok, gaffer, I will pop in and see you tomorrow’ and he said, ‘No, I am at the golf club.’ I said, ‘What!’ And he said, ‘I am at the golf club.’
“I was in the buggy with Giggsy – and I was one up and all – and I said, ‘I have to go, the gaffer’s here.’ So I left Giggsy there and he [Sir Alex] was sat in his car. I said, ‘What’s wrong, gaffer?’ and he said, ‘Listen we have had an offer from Inter Milan for £7.5million and we are accepting it.'”
“Yes. He [Ferguson] said, ‘We have Nicky Butt coming through and we are trying to build Carrington [the new training ground] so we need the money.’
“I was shocked at first, thinking I had been here for six years, was coming into my prime, thinking about another four-year contract and negotiating that, which would have taken me to my testimonial year.
“Thomas [his eldest son] was only two so we were thinking about nurseries and I got hit with that. It was more shock than anything. I told Giggsy and he nearly collapses. So the next week was tough.”
“Listen, it’s fine. Sir Alex and I have a great relationship. Next year they won the Premier League. It wasn’t just me – Mark Hughes left, [Andrei] Kanchelskis left. It doesn’t mean the decision to let me go was right but it shows the greatness of the man.
“But I am pleased I did it. It widened my horizons, I learnt another language, made me a better player, a different type of player, more technical. And to be fair Serie A was the best league in the world. They had the greatest players: Baggio, Baresi, Maldini, Desailly.
"Obviously I would rather have stayed at United for the rest of my career. Look at Giggsy and Gary Neville – that could easily have been me with 12, 14 years at Manchester United. But I had an amazing career.”
