Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson had been searching for a defender to add to the squad, and specifically needed an Englishman who would not be affected by the restrictions on foreign players in European competition that were in place at the time.
Manchester Uniteds træner Alex Ferguson havde søgt efter en forsvarer til at tilslutte sig truppen og specielt en englænder, som ikke ville blive berørt af udenlandske spillere i europæiske konkurrencer, som fandt sted den gang.