Nedved Reveals United Regret

Former Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved has revealed the biggest regret of his career was not being able to play for Manchester United.

The 44-year-old won 91 caps for Czech Republic and starred for Sparta Prague, Lazio and Juventus. He played three times against the Reds but would have loved to wear the United shirt.

Unfortunately, being a left-sided midfielder, his position was not a priority for Sir Alex Ferguson with Ryan Giggs firmly established as a regular in the side but Neved, now Juve's vice-president, always fancied a switch to Old Trafford.

"A regret?" he said in Czech newspaper Idnes. "That I never played for Manchester United. I’d have liked that. The transfer was never on the table though, there was only Chelsea [interested in me].

"I liked the generation of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, whom I admired. I was a little bit jealous of Karel Poborsky, who played in Manchester and experienced great matches. I know he still feels that love."

Nedved, who also expressed his great disappointment at missing the 2003 Champions League final at Old Trafford against Milan due to suspension, also singled out current United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic for praise.

"In terms of team-mates, I’ve had a lot and I don’t want to offend anyone," he stated. "If I had to pick one [as the best] though, I’d say Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He's a striker who can cut through defences. He has scary power and height, as well as excellent technique.

"That said, when he came to Juventus, he couldn’t finish. What you see today is mainly down to the fact Fabio Capello took him for a half-an-hour of shooting practice after every training session."