AC Milan forward Jeremy Menez has said it was in the best interests of his career to reject the chance to join Manchester United four years ago.
Menez, 27, joined AC Milan this summer and has enjoyed a superb start to his San Siro career, netting three goals in his first two appearances as the club sit top of the table on goals scored.
But it was in 2010 during his Roma days that the France international turned down overtures from Sir Alex Ferguson to stay in Italy, saying it would not have been the right career option at the time. In hindsight, things did not necessarily go according to plan at Roma either.
"Saying no to Ferguson wasn't easy," he explained. "But I was still young and I had to follow my own path. Then when [Vincenzo] Montella came to Roma, it became difficult for everybody. Before he came, I was playing all the time, but he had different ideas.
"I was then a first-team regular in Paris [at Paris Saint-Germain] under Carlo Ancelotti, but [Laurent] Blanc came along and he dropped me. After an operation, I came back and scored, but nothing changed. I accepted his decision, even if it was hard. It was a difficult year, but it helped me grow."
It also helped him seek a move to Milan, where it appears everybody is now happy.
His special goal -- the crucial fifth in last weekend's 5-4 win over Parma -- when he rounded the goalkeeper and backheeled in, has had everybody talking, and in his first in-depth interview since the game, he says there is more where that came from.
"It was purely instinctive -- that's my kind of football," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I like to enjoy myself. I don't know how to defend, I can only create chances or dribble past opponents."
While that may infuriate many a manager, it is not going to concern Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi, who can look forward to more goals from a player who was often criticised during his previous spell in Italian football with Roma for not delivering on his full potential, and scoring too few goals.
"If anybody in Italy talks about Menez, they say 'ah yes, the one who can only score four a season.' Well it's not going to be like that anymore," added the player who began his career in France with Sochaux and Monaco before signing for Roma. "I'm going to score more than 10, and I want to get back into the national team too. In two years, we host the European Championship in France and I want to be part of it.
"With Milan, we can aim for the scudetto. I really believe we can win it. Our minimum aim has got to be a top-three finish and a place in the Champions League, though. Milan can compete with anybody."
One of the main reasons for Menez's resurgence is the faith shown in him by his new club, in particular Inzaghi.
"I was looking at other offers and considering my future, and then Milan came in for me," Menez, who spent three years at PSG, explained. "[General manager Adriano] Galliani and Inzaghi met me in Ibiza and said lots of things which are important to me, for my career and for my future.
"It was easy to choose to wear this shirt. When somebody gifts you something so nice, then you feel an obligation to repay them. It's not only an obligation, but a pleasure. I got on well with the coach from day one and I want to thank him.
"But this is only the beginning. We've got many games to come together. He reminds me a bit of [Guy] Lacombe, my first coach at Sochaux. He's still young and you can see that he wants to go a long way with this club."