Sir Alex reveals why Man Utd rejected Silva

The 73-year-old, who was tracking the midfielder while at Valencia, had doubts over the player's ability to contribute defensively as Manchester City paid £24 million in 2010

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Manchester United opted out of signing David Silva because of doubts over the Manchester City man's ability to contribute in defence.

The 29-year-old was playing for Valencia at the time and being followed by a number of Europe’s biggest clubs, before joining City for a reported £24 million in the summer of 2010.

Silva has since made over 200 appearances for City, helping them win two league titles and the FA Cup, but Sir Alex was unconvinced by the player's ability to fit in with his team's mentality at Old Trafford.

"We watched Silva a lot when he was at Valencia," the Scotsman revealed in an interview promoting his new book.

"My problem with [Silva playing as a No.10] was you have to be very, very good to play in that position, because there's no defensive duties for them.

"So if you're wanting to be be really successful, everyone has to take their turn, has to work, you know? So I had a difficulty with that."

Ferguson, however, did concede that a number of the game's finest players built their reputations in the No.10 position.

He added: "You could say Lionel Messi was a No.10 type, [Diego] Maradona, some fantastic players, and I don't dispute that.

"But at United we always found it difficult. The kind of No.10 I used came from my experience as a footballer."