‘I was released by Man City – I didn’t tell anyone I was going to sign for Man Utd'

The football world often raises eyebrows when a player switches allegiance from Manchester United to Manchester City, or vice versa. While several players like Peter Schmeichel, Owen Hargreaves and Brian Kidd have donned both jerseys, direct transfers are a rarity.

United fans were left reeling when Denis Law and Carlos Tevez immediately swapped their red shirts for the sky blue of City. However, in 2012, a young defender named Frederic Veseli took the rivalry to another level.

After three years at the Etihad and with his contract winding down, Veseli was eager to prove himself in the Premier League and sought an exit from Manchester City. Roberto Mancini, keen to retain the promising talent, attempted to negotiate a new deal that would include loan opportunities for Veseli to gain experience.

The situation came to light in a 2022 interview with The Athletic, where Veseli recounted (as reported by the MEN): “We could never agree terms. Mancini would ask me all the time what was happening. I carried on playing. I played against United’s reserves who had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. United had a lot of first-teamers, we had reserves only and we drew 1-1. Fergie was there watching. I had a really good game.”

Veseli’s impressive performance caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, but it was a chance encounter in a pub that set things in motion. The defender ran into United assistant Rene Meulensteen while picking up his girlfriend from her local, and their conversation quickly turned to football and Veseli’s situation at City, reports the Mirror.

Brian Marwood, City’s football administrator at the time, made it clear that any young players who were unhappy at the club could leave rather than disrupt team harmony. Veseli revealed: “Mancini was disappointed and was always asking me to renew. I didn’t know what to say to him. My contract was up and City released me and signed a paper saying I could leave on a free.

“The next day, I drove to City’s training ground at Carrington to collect my stuff. I didn’t tell anybody what I was going to do next. I told the gaffer that I was leaving the club and he asked me where I was going. I told him ‘United’. He couldn’t believe it, but he had to take training. He wished me good luck.”

Manchester United officially announced Veseli’s signing on transfer deadline day, with the young player expressing his excitement: “I am very happy and it is an honour to sign for Manchester United. I can’t wait to get started, to work hard and do everything I can to help the team. I am looking forward to showing everybody what I can do on the pitch.

“I am very thankful to Sir Alex Ferguson for bringing me to such a great club. Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same.” Unfortunately for Veseli, his time at Old Trafford did not meet expectations.

His stint with the Red Devils saw him take to the pitch only 23 times across reserve and U21 fixtures between 2012 and 2013. Subsequently, he transferred to Ipswich Town, where his struggle to break into the first team persisted. Loans to Bury and Port Vale then ensued.

The switch to Port Vale became permanent in 2015, leading to spells with Lugano, Empoli, Salernitana, Benevento, and Faith Karagumruk. Now at 31, Veseli finds himself without a club, reflecting on what might have been in the wake of high hopes dashed post-Manchester United.