"Because the term of my contract had expired, City let me go and signed a document stating that I could do so without further obligation.
"The following day, I retrieved my belongings by making the trip to City's training base in Carrington. The reserve manager informed me that I needed to go through training, but I informed him that I would be departing. I did not provide the location.
"After that, I turned the next corner and signed with Manchester United," the person said.
There have been many people who have played football for both Manchester United and Manchester City, but very few have ever made the direct switch between the two clubs. This is because very few people have ever made the switch between Manchester United and Manchester City. Jadon Sancho is the most recent example of a player who has played for both the red and the sky blue sides of the city. Denis Law and Carlos Tevez are the most renowned players who have switched directly from one side to the other.
When the young defender Frederic Veseli made his way across the great divide, it was the final day of the transfer window in 2012.
The promising defender had been playing for the blue side of Manchester for three and a half years with great success, but he ultimately decided it was time for a change because there was no obvious path for him to make it into the first team.
He desired to change clubs and join one in which he would have a better chance of achieving his goals. He didn't have to search very hard to find it.
Adam Bouskouchi, who represented him previously as an agent, stated that Manchester City are currently vying for major titles and trophies. "They obviously believe that experience is the best way for them to get where they want to go, and because of this, it is difficult for them to have faith in younger people. But that attitude did not help Freddie, who simply had the impression that he was not making any progress.
"Freddie had conversations with a number of clubs, both domestically and internationally. However, he has the ambition to become one of the best players in England, and the conversation he had with Sir Alex left such an impression on him.
"He is a man to whom it is difficult to say no, and his track record was sufficient for Freddie to feel that he was making the right choice to join United," Freddie said.
United had already made one attempt to sign the highly-rated defender, but the Blues, along with many other top teams in Europe, beat them to his signature. This was the case for United as well. Back in 2009, City reached a contract agreement with Veseli before he represented Switzerland in the Under-17 World Cup. The club had been huge fans of the talented teen and had signed him to a deal before he competed. It turned out to be a stroke of genius.
The young man would bring honor and victory to the nation of his birth in the competition for young people. He was the captain of the team that won the World Cup when he was only 16 years old, but any team that wanted to sign him had already missed their chance.
"Freddie was my captain because he was a great personality, very professional mentally, with great technical qualities, and he was a leader," Swiss U17s manager Dany Ryser said to The Manchester Evening News. "Freddie was my captain because he was a great personality, very professional mentally, with great technical qualities, and he was."
We may not have had all of the best players in the tournament, but we had the best team, and Frederic exemplified that spirit for our group. This allowed us to win the Under-17s World Cup, which was a huge accomplishment for our group.
Because he cared more about the team than he did about himself, everyone on that side acknowledged him as their leader. He didn't seem to care one bit that he was the center of attention. When he thought about it, the only thing that mattered was how well the team did.
It was in large part due to his leadership that the team was able to win the championship.
On their way to victory, Switzerland won every single one of their seven matches, including the final against 60,000 spectators, where they prevailed over Italy, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, and Nigeria. After their victorious competition, Veseli ultimately decided to relocate to Manchester, initially moving there with his father but later going back to Switzerland after his son had established himself in his new home.
It was arranged by the city for him to live with a neighborhood family who also happened to be ardent supporters of the football club. In addition to that, they took care of former striker Alex Nimely and made sure that he and his partner were able to attend as many games of the Blues as possible.
In the match against Vancouver Whitecaps, City's Frederic Veseli was in action.
Despite the fact that Veseli experienced some anxiety about his new surroundings, he was able to adapt well to the football side of things and was quickly promoted to the reserve side. At the same time, he frequently trained with the first team in order to aid in his development. The youngster was making great strides, but he believed that given the amount of effort he was putting in, he ought to be given more opportunities. If it hadn't been for a misfortunate injury, he would have received one as well.
"[Roberto] Mancini told me that I would make my first-team debut in the final league game of the season and called my family," Veseli said in an interview with The Athletic. "[Roberto] Mancini also called my family." "On the other hand, I tore my hamstring on Tuesday. I was in utter disbelief."
Because of this misfortune, Veseli lost his opportunity to play with the first team, which was an opportunity he would never have again. At the very least, City would include him on their preseason tour to the United States, but it appeared that paperwork would prevent him from participating in the tour this time.
"My passport was not a biometric one, so traveling to the United States with City for preseason training was a close call that almost didn't happen. Mancini assured me that they would wait for me and not take another player even though the reserve manager had told me that I would have to remain with them.
"I went to the passport office and explained the situation in its entirety to the employees there; they issued me a new passport within a couple of days. After that, I went to the United States embassy, which was a challenging experience. There, things are not simple."
Veseli was forced to fly to Chicago in economy class because he was unable to get on the chartered flight. However, considering that this was going to be his big break in the world of professional football, this was a small price for him to pay.
It was not only a successful summer for him, but also for the city as a whole. The club addressed their need for defensive reinforcements not by promoting younger players but by bringing in Stefan Savic. The club's big signings were Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, and Gael Clichy.
Mancini made it clear that he wanted to agree to new terms with the promising defender as he entered his final year at the club. Veseli made it clear that he was happy to stay around if a career pathway could be established, allowing him to leave on loan and get playing time elsewhere. Mancini made it clear that he wanted to agree to new terms with the promising defender.
"It was impossible for us to come to terms. Mancini would constantly inquire with me as to what was taking place in the situation. I kept going and going with the game. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the reserve team manager for Manchester United when I competed against them.
"United fielded a large number of players from their first team, while we played with only our reserves, and the game ended 1-1. Fergie was present and observing. I had a really good game."
Even though Veseli's performance in front of the legendary United manager had certainly increased interest in his signature, the wheels didn't start turning until a chance meeting at a pub. The defender had gone to pick up his girlfriend from her local when he ran into United assistant Rene Meulensteen. The conversation quickly turned to football, in particular the defender's situation at City, and Meulensteen expressed interest in signing him.
The Blues were eager to establish a new identity in English football, and they believed the best way to do so was to begin by revitalizing their youth program. The football administrator at the time, Brian Marwood, made it abundantly clear that any youngster who was unhappy at the club was free to leave rather than potentially disrupt the club's equilibrium.
Even though Mancini was eager to keep Veseli, Meulensteen's interest was certainly piqued when he learned that Veseli was free to leave, and this was despite the fact that Mancini was eager to keep him.
"Mancini was dissatisfied and continuously pressed me to renew our contract. I was at a loss for words when speaking to him. Because the term of my contract had expired, City let me go and signed a document stating that I could do so without further obligation.
"The following day, I made my way to City's training ground in Carrington in order to retrieve my belongings. I did not divulge to anyone what my subsequent plans were going to be. After I informed the manager that I would be leaving the club, he inquired as to my next destination. I responded by saying, "United." He couldn't believe it when they told him he had to go through training, but he had to. He wished me success and I thanked him.
The only piece of transfer business that United had completed up until that point was the unexpected re-signing of Paul Scholes. This was celebrated by Scholes making an appearance in the Manchester derby at the Etihad just a few hours after he signed a contract. Two weeks later, they would once again raid the other side of the city, and on the day before the transfer deadline, they would make the official announcement that they had signed Veseli on a free transfer.
The statement that Veseli made at the time was as follows: "I am very happy, and it is an honor to sign for Manchester United." I cannot wait to get started, to put in a lot of effort, and to do everything in my power to contribute to the success of the team. I can't wait to get out there and show everyone what I'm capable of doing on the field.
"I want to express my gratitude to Sir Alex Ferguson for finding a place for me at such a prestigious club. There is a long tradition at Manchester United of younger players rising through the ranks, and I am hoping that I can follow in their footsteps and achieve the same success.
Veseli made the decision to switch clubs in the city because he believed that City were overly focused on trying to win major trophies and establish their new stature rather than cultivating any young players. The defender believed that the clear pathway for youth talent was what had influenced Veseli to make the switch.
Even though United were eager to make their noisy neighbors pay, the eventual victory of Mancini for the title at the end of the season would vindicate their stance.
Here was one of the top talents in world football, who, despite declining in recent years, still represented huge potential, and any success would be an utter embarrassment for them at the expense of their neighbors in the neighborhood. Although Ferguson never acknowledged the true nature of Veseli's move to United, which began with that conversation in a pub in Wilmslow, the move eventually took place.
When Ferguson was speaking to MUTV, he insisted that "it actually came about because of a coincidence." "A member of our scouting department came to tell us that City had released this young lad from Switzerland, and that they'd watched him play a few years ago," the member of our scouting department said.
There was absolutely nothing at stake. We decided to wait to see how he performed until the end of the season before making any decisions regarding his future. I really hope that he does well.
When Veseli signed with United, the club provided him with additional training and informed the young player that he was not at the required level of fitness to even train at the intensity that they would demand from him.
"City had a plethora of big names and were going to become champions, but United were champions at the time. The energy and the aura were both different. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was perfect for me.
Veseli remained a regular presence in the United first team's training sessions, but the club did not provide him with the same number of opportunities to play in the reserve squad as he had with City. Solskjaer had moved on from his role as manager of Molde by the time his masterclass in front of Ferguson a year earlier took place, and Warren Joyce had taken over in his place.
With players like Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, who would go on to become first-team stars, as well as Michael Keane, Sean McGinty, Reece Brown, Scott Wootton, and Tom Thorpe, who provided tough competition at center back, the team had an abundance of talent, so it's perhaps not surprising that things didn't quite work out the way they were supposed to.
Veseli was named in yet another pre-season tour squad, this time the United one that headed to South Africa and China, despite the fact that he had played in a relatively small number of games. However, just as it was the case at City, it never led to opportunities with the first team.
The young player made his return to reserve duty in a role that allowed him to demonstrate his versatility. He spent the majority of the first half of the season playing primarily as a right back, but at the turn of the year, he was moved to a role playing defensive midfielder. It was in this midfield role that he had his best run in the team, playing the entirety of matches most weeks, until another unfortunate injury cut short his season in April. He had his best run in the team when he was playing this midfield role.
"In the game against Spurs reserves, I pulled my hamstring. Since I hadn't made the first team, Fergie had already informed me that it was okay for me to leave. He told me that I could stay for an additional year if that was what I wanted, that he would be happy to assist me in finding another club, and that I could leave without being charged any additional fees."
There was a lot of interest from teams in the Championship in acquiring his services. Leicester, Burnley, Barnsley, and Ipswich all made offers to sign him, and Udinese, an Italian club, was also interested.
After the Ipswich chief scout discussed the United youngster in confidence with his good friend Wayne Rooney, who provided nothing but glowing feedback, an agreement was quickly reached. In spite of a challenging five-year stint in Manchester, Mick McCarthy's team emerged victorious in the competition to sign a center back who is still held in high regard.
At Portman Road, things never worked out, but Veseli did well on loan at Bury and Port Vale. He eventually signed permanently for the latter in January 2015, a deal that he arranged himself after firing an inexperienced agent.
By the time the season was over, he had changed locations once more. After losing interest in the sport, he returned to Switzerland to pursue a law degree at a local university. While he was there, a representative from the Swiss club Lugano offered him a chance to resurrect his career.
Things were going well, and in the not too distant future, they would go even better. Veseli was born in Switzerland to Albanian parents who were originally from Kosovo. While playing for Lugano, Veseli accepted a call-up to the Albanian national team and was eventually included in their squad for Euro 2016.
The very best there is. I came on against France in Marseille. Wow. There were 50,000 Albanians present for our very first appearance in the European Championships. I felt such immense pride. I was familiar with the text of the national anthem. Since both of my parents were present, I experienced a tingling sensation during each of the games. When we arrived back in Albania, we were given the royal treatment. We were each given a diplomatic passport, which exempts me from having to wait in line when traveling through airports.
"When I tried to join a team a year ago, I was unsuccessful."
However, similar to the past, the good times wouldn't last for very long. Veseli and Lugano became embroiled in a contract dispute, which resulted in Lugano's refusal to sell Veseli and their insistence that they had the right to activate a contract extension that would result in Veseli earning significantly less money than he could get elsewhere.
After seeking the counsel of an attorney, he was ultimately released from his contract and went on to sign with Serie A club Empoli. However, Lugano resorted to the legal system once more, this time bringing a lawsuit against the defender. Before his name was finally cleared, Veseli was forced to sit out of competition for a period of two months.
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