Man Utd were turned down by Premier League star who destroyed Arsenal's defence

Manchester United were spurned by Trevor Sinclair after making an offer for the QPR prospect

Queens Park Rangers icon Trevor Sinclair has confessed he once rejected an offer to join Manchester United.

Sinclair was still in his early days at QPR when the Red Devils expressed an interest in signing him. After joining QPR from Blackpool in 1993, 'Tricky Trev' quickly ascended through the ranks, and any initial apprehension about playing in the Premier League soon faded.

The 51-year-old's career might not have reached its full potential due to injuries that plagued the ex-Manchester City and West Ham star. However, during a recent appearance on the Ben Heath Podcast (via the Manchester Evening News), he revealed just how close he came to signing at Old Trafford after making his mark in the top flight.

When asked if he felt the move was one that "got away" from him, Sinclair responded: "Not really. I think there's always gonna be speculation when you're playing well. I remember playing for QPR at the start and thinking, 'How am I gonna get in this team?' Because the level of the players in my team, and I thought, 'This is different class. I'm gonna have to work my socks off to try and get anywhere near this.'"

He continued: "Eventually I did, and that was from Gerry [Francis] putting individual work into me one-on-one, making sure I knew what my role was, and then being able to trust me and give me the opportunity. But I remember playing against the Arsenal team with [Nigel] Winterburn, Tony Adams and Lee Dixon - and this was the '1-0 to the Arsenal' under George Graham [team].

"And I remember playing against them, and I absolutely destroyed both of them. Winterburn on one side, went to the other wing [and] did the same to Dixon, and I thought, 'Is this as hard as it's gonna get?'"

The superstar dished more details about his journey, revealing how a significant knee injury played a big role in hampering his early career advancement. Prior to that, he boasted that taking on Premier League defenders was at times "like playing in slow-motion."

"So I got in the England squad at (I think) 22, pre-96 Euros," he explained. "Picked up a little ankle injury, which was nothing, but it kept me out of that squad. Then soon after I picked up a knee injury, which was a year out.

"But because I got in the England squad as a maverick, someone that doesn't really have to do that much work going back, and then to come so close to making my England cap but not making it. And then five, six years later, getting in the England team as a different, adapted version of myself - I think that was one of my greatest achievements."

Despite the late start to his career with the national team in 2001, Sinclair only collected a total of 12 caps, including four during the 2002 World Cup. While his international career may have been brief, Sinclair confirmed that he was never short of interest from the major clubs.

"There was big clubs interested over the years," he concluded. "Yeah, Manchester United was one, [but] I never look at things and think, 'Aw, I regret not doing that.' At the time, you do things you think are right for you, and for me that was to stay at QPR and sign a new contract. It didn't work out, but that was my decision, and I made it for the right reasons."

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