Premier League legend admits he rejected Manchester United to join Celtic

It is a common sight these days to see youngsters leave Celtic in order to join clubs in England. That was not always the case though. In the past, there have been plenty of examples of players who have chosen the Glasgow giants over big teams in the English top flight. One player who falls under that category is Shay Given.

Given was part of the Celtic youth academy for quite a few years. But the goalkeeper never ended up making a senior appearance for the Hoops.

He would soon end up at Blackburn Rovers. Things worked out in the end for Given as he established himself as a Premier League legend at Newcastle United. He would also play for other clubs like Manchester City, Aston Villa, Sunderland and more.

What many might not know is that Given had the chance to join Manchester United as a youth player. But he turned that opportunity down to join Celtic. Unfortunately, things did not quite work out for him in Glasgow.

Premier League legend admits he rejected Manchester United to join Celtic

As reported by talkSPORT, Given told Alex Crook in a new book about classic Newcastle United games:

"“I had a trial at Man United and they actually offered me a contract, but I turned them down in favour of a move to Celtic.“I was a big Celtic fan growing up and United had Peter Schmeichel just coming into his prime whereas Celtic had Packie Bonner who was 34 so my dad and I felt that was a quicker route to playing first-team football.”"

Things did not really turn out as expected for Given at Celtic and he soon found himself back at home:

"“I left Celtic at 18 and had to go back to Ireland and stay at home for a month or two because I did not have a club before Blackburn offered me a contract.”"

It is a good thing that Given went on to have a great career. He would go on to make 134 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team in an international career that would last two decades.

On the other hand, he established himself as a bonafide Newcastle United legend as well. He spent 12 years at the club and made more than 450 appearances for the Magpies.

It is a shame that things did not work out for him at Celtic. Someone like Given could have been a very good player for the Hoops.