Uruguay forward Diego Forlan has dismissed claims that he was close to a move back to the Premier League this summer.
The 33-year-old former Villarreal and Atletico Madrid star left Inter Milan in July after an unsuccessful year in Italy, which saw him score just twice in 20 outings for the Serie A outfit.
Despite newspaper reports linking him with a move back to the Premier League, where he had previously spent two-and-a-half years with Manchester United between 2002 and 2004, Forlan opted to return to South America with Brazilian side Internacional.
But, speaking exclusively in the October 2012 issue to FourFourTwo, Forlan reveals that a move back to England – where Tottenham Hotspur were said keen on his signature – was never on the cards.
"If I had received an offer from an English club, I'd have considered it, but nothing came up," Forlan explains.
"There was a rumour that I had a meeting with [then Tottenham manager] Harry Redknapp, but I never got a chance to talk with him."
Forlan endured a frustrating spell at Old Trafford, scoring just 10 Premier League goals in his two-and-a-half seasons in Manchester, but he denies he had a point to prove to anybody in England.
"There was nothing to prove. Being at Manchester United was a great experience and it helped my career a lot.
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"Maybe I didn’t get a chance to show everything I could, but after moving to Villarreal I faced those same players from the Premier League, even former team-mates, and I beat them all, winning the European Golden Shoe twice."
Read the full interview with Diego Forlan in theOctober 12 issue of FourFourTwo, which asks 'is it over?' for Barcelona's dream team following Pep Guardiola's departure, looks at Mafia involvement in Italian football and goes to Cardiff to find a furore over the change to red kits. Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf answers your questions and Rafael Benitez picks his Perfect XI. Subscribe!
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Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.
