We snubbed Manchester United and got relegated – but funny stories like this happen

Over the years, Manchester United have not been immune to taking a Dane under their wing.

Jesper Olsen made north of 150 appearances for the club between 1984 and 1988, Peter Schmeichel played an undisputed part in the 1999 Treble and Rasmus Hojlund was the latest to come on board last August. United has a large following in the Scandinavian region and Denmark could be described as a central hub.

Despite Hojlund’s undeniable potential, it will take something special for him or anyone else to unseat Schmeichel as United’s most famous Dane. The legendary goalkeeper, who was often described as the Great Dane, won 15 major trophies during his Old Trafford career.

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He was one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation and will go down in history as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. His departure in 1999, which saw him join Sporting Lisbon, marked the beginning of United’s search for a replacement stopper, and they went through several before Edwin van der Sar was established as the club’s No.1 after arriving from at Fulham in 2005. .

The Premier League, however, has been flooded with plenty of Danish talent over the years, including Schmeichel’s son Kasper, who won the prestigious Premier League with Leicester City in 2016. Others include United’s own Christian Eriksen, who also played for Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur, ex-Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger and ex-Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. However, perhaps one of the lesser remembered figures is former Aston Villa and Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

The former stopper, who succeeded Schmeichel as Denmark’s first-choice goalkeeper in 2001, has made more than 350 Premier League appearances for three different clubs. He arrived in England in 1998 from the Danish club Odense Boldklub and joined Sunderland, who were playing in the first division of the Football League (now the Championship).

Less than a year ago, however, Sorensen trained for a week with United, having been handed an invitation by fellow international Schmeichel. The goalkeeper enjoyed his week with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men so much that he was invited back in February 1998.

Sorensen, now 47, impressed United’s staff so much that Ferguson contacted him that summer to try and bring him to Old Trafford on a permanent basis. Unfortunately for the Scot, it was too late, with Sorensen already committing his future to Sunderland, although the deal has yet to be officially announced.

“Before I moved to Sunderland I had spoken to Sir Alex Ferguson because I had a few trials at Manchester United through Peter Schmeichel,” Sorensen told OLBG. “I think a week after I signed for Sunderland Sir Alex called me and asked if I wanted to go to United, I had to tell them I had already signed elsewhere.”

Ferguson, however, refused to take issue with the Dane, issuing a relaxed response. He was pleased that Sorensen had managed to sort out his future, admitting that Sunderland would give him the game time he needed for his development.

Sorensen, speaking in a separate interview, recalled: “He (Ferguson) was actually very positive and said he ‘thought it would be really good for you’ and ‘will give you games for your development’ . We said our goodbyes and sometimes funny stories and things happen.”

Signed by Sunderland in July 1998 for a fee of £510,000, Sorensen enjoyed a remarkable debut season in England, helping the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League as First Division champions. He also broke the club record with 29 that campaign.

Sunderland’s first two seasons in the Premier League saw them finish seventh in both 1999/2000 and 2000/01. They slumped in 2001/02, finishing 17th, narrowly avoiding relegation, before falling through the trap the following year, finishing bottom.

Sorensen remained the Black Cats’ No.1 throughout that period but had to be sold after relegation was confirmed. He joined Aston Villa, spending five years at Villa Park, before moving to Stoke in 2008, signing a three-year deal just days after going on trial.

Stoke had just been promoted to the Premier League for the first time and the Dane became an instant favorite with the Staffordshire fans. He spent seven years on the Potteries books and helped them cement their status as a Premier League club and reach the 2011 FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Manchester City, losing 1-0 at Wembley.

In the summer between the FA Cup final defeat to City and the start of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign, Sorensen had the chance to move to the Etihad Stadium. Despite being tempted at the time, he was happy with the choices he made throughout his career.

He continued: “I had the chance to go to Manchester City and while I was at Stoke. I then heard about the chance to go to Barcelona but the opportunity fell through.

“But I’m happy with the choices I’ve made and I’ve played for some great clubs and had great moments. I’ve always been a club man and I would never have forced myself out. I’ve acted the way I am as a person and that got me pretty far.”

Like many other players who were either close to or had the opportunity to join United during the Ferguson era, there must have been a tinge of regret deep down. Schmeichel obviously rated Sorensen very highly and so did Ferguson for him to pick up the phone in an attempt to get him to sign for the club.

Unfortunately, we will never know if he would have been the heir to Schmeichel’s United throne.