Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden admits he could've signed for Manchester United.

Hayden had been in the youth ranks at League One side Southend.

But it wasn't long before the Premier League's elite came sniffing around.

"Manchester United came in at the same time as Arsenal," he told The Times. "I was an Arsenal fan. Arsenal showed more interest.

"Steve Leonard [Arsenal's under-14s coach] pushed Liam Brady, the main man at the academy, to sign me.

"Steve said: 'You've got to treat him right because he's going to be good.'"