Everton ace James Rodriguez admits turning down Saturday's opponents Manchester United.

Colombia international Rodriguez, having missed last weekend's defeat against Newcastle, is in contention to start for Carlo Ancelotti's Everton side for the clash at Goodison Park.

But the 29-year-old, who was signed in the summer for £20m from Real Madrid, has revealed how close he came to joining United under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012.

"I believe it was in 2012," Rodriguez told BT Sport.

"The club [Man Utd] had offered me something, but in the end that didn't happen because of some reason I don't know, but well... football always leads you to the correct path, to a team where you can actually play well.

"If it didn't happen, it was for some consistent reason. Maybe I wasn't ready for it, or maybe it was because I was made to play in another great team. In the end, I had the opportunity to go to France, and that was the path that I could follow."