He called repeatedly — John Terry narrates how Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him for Man United

Former Chelsea captain John Terry has opened up about Sir Alex Ferguson's relentless pursuit to sign him for Manchester United during his youth career.

Terry, who spent an impressive 22 years at Chelsea, revealed that Ferguson regularly phoned his house every week during his youth career in an attempt to convince him to join Manchester United. Despite United's efforts and Ferguson's keen interest, Terry ultimately chose Chelsea as his home club.

In a chat with William Hill's podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, Terry shared his experience, stating: "I had Sir Alex Ferguson phoning my house every week to speak to me and my dad, checking that I was going to school and training correctly."

Despite the interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, Terry felt a strong sense of belonging at Chelsea. He recalled, "Even with all that, when I walked into Chelsea I just knew it was the right club for me. I felt like it was my home, like when you walk into a house and just feel you belong there for the next 20 years."

Terry expressed his gratitude to Jose Mourinho for his successful stint at Chelsea, where he won three Premier League titles under the Portuguese manager's leadership. Reflecting on Mourinho's time at Manchester United, Terry defended Mourinho's managerial record, especially his tenure at Old Trafford, which saw United win the Europa League and the League Cup.

"I would look at his time at Manchester United as being a successful one, compared to where they've been," Terry said. "When you see the press conferences of him talking about how he won three Premier Leagues and all the other managers won two, I think he's spot on with what he said."