West Brom skipper Jonathan Greening has revealed he knocked back a four-year contract at Manchester United to move to Middlesbrough.

Recalling his meeting with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Greening told The Times: "It took me an hour to knock on his door. But it was time.

"I'd made, I think, 34 appearances in three years, and never played two consecutive games. He didn't take it very well. He offered me a new four-year contract straight away, but I told him it wasn't about the contract - I needed to start playing. I needed to be brave and thank goodness, looking back, that I was.

"He must have thought a lot of me if he wanted me to stay, but they had just signed [Juan Sebastian] Verón for £32 million and there was never a chance I was going to play regularly."