Ronald de Boer explains why he picked Rangers over Manchester United

Ronald de Boer has revealed that concerns over his knee and sufficient playing time were two of the biggest reasons he signed for Rangers over Manchester United.

Ronald de Boer played for Rangers between 2000 and 2004. Picture: Ian Rutherford

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The Dutch international made the switch to Glasgow in 2000 after becoming available following one season with Catalan giants Barcelona.

Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to bring the attacking midfielder to Old Trafford and even spoke with the player about a move to the English champions.

De Boer ended up choosing to sign for his fellow countryman Dick Advocaat at Rangers. In an interview with the BBC, the ex-Ajax star said he made the decision because he feared United would pull out of the deal because of a problem with his knee.

He said: “I remember being in the kit room in the Camp Nou and being on the phone with Ferguson. He said to me, ‘I’d play you, but I’d like to rotate’. He said the only two players he played every game were [Roy] Keane and [David] Beckham. He said that I’d play but I might not play every game.

“Then Rangers came in, also with a four-year deal.

“I had this injury with my knee. It wasn’t a problem because I didn’t miss a training session at Barcelona. But I know that Manchester United had sent back Ruud Van Nistelrooy because of a problem with his knee in the medical. And I thought, they want me, but they may think his body is not fit for four years and they wouldn’t want to take the risk. Then I’d have come back to Barcelona with a stamp on my head like ‘he’s not fit’.

“With Rangers losing 6-2 against Celtic four days before, one day before signing the Champions League names, with a Dutch doctor, a Dutch manager, I thought the chance I could get a four-year deal, it would take me up to 33, 34. So I took the plane to Glasgow and I never regretted it.”