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Few players have turned down a transfer to Man Utd and not looked back with regret.

Yet few players are quite like Paolo Di Canio.

The enigmatic former West Ham captain was approached by legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in 2001, but rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford - even at the age of 33.

Di Canio had been at the Hammers less than two years at the time, having moved there with a bad boy reputation after pushing over a referee during his time at Sheffield Wednesday.

And the Italian maestro admitted that whilst he was flattered by the interest from United, his loyalty lied at Upton Park.

(Image: PA)

"I thought it was a joke, I thought it was my friend from Italy," Di Canio told the Sky Sports News' Transfer Talk podcast.

"My stomach went a bit because it makes you think you have underestimated yourself, that you are bigger than what you thought. Man United call you, try to persuade you to move because they want you. For a couple of minutes you feel big and strong.

"It was strange for me to say no to Sir Alex. I said "thanks, 1000 times thanks, but I can't. West Ham are the family that warmed to me in the worst moment in my life, I'm the skipper, I can't.

"He told me, 'Paolo, respect for this, I love people that think in this way. You are the man that I thought you were.'"

United had only recently completed a momentous treble, and were the defending Premier League champions at the time of Ferguson's approach.

They went on to win the title again in 2003, while Di Canio tasted relegation at the end of the same campaign, before moving on to Charlton.

But he insists he would not change his decision.

"In the end I remained at West Ham and I don't have regrets about it, even if United became the best, won the Champions League, winning the leagues. I would never change winning those leagues for the four and a half years I wore the West Ham shirt."