Mikael Silvestre signed for Manchester United at the start of the 1999-00 season and spent nine seasons at the club. In that time he won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup, and one Champions League.

There have been plenty of memorable moments with Silvestre in the side, like when he scored twice in our 2-1 win over Liverpool, scoring a late winner against Leeds, as well as headbutting Freddie Ljungberg to earn the only red card of his career.

To help raise money for Trafford Macmillan, Silvestre kindly accepted our offer for this interview originally published in the RoM season preview, and spoke at length on a range of topics. It was clear that he is still very much attached to Manchester United and spoke warmly about his time at the club.

Do you consider yourself a Manchester United fan and did you watch United play much last season?

Yes, I would consider myself a United fan. You know the saying, ‘once a red, always a red’. I follow the club carefully. Last season, I watched the games on the TV and I came to see them play PSV. The football wasn’t what we expect from United. They were missing a spark, authority, possession was too much of a focus, and the end product was very rare.

How do you expect things to change with Mourinho?

Jose is a fine tactician and it’s in Manchester United’s DNA to win. I am very curious to see what happens. The expectations are getting higher and higher. With the signings, I think we will see a different Manchester United.

What are your thoughts on Frenchmen Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba?

They are still in the first part of their career and they have huge potential. For Anthony, it’s about confirming what he has been showing and learning lessons from the Euros where he didn’t participate much. He didn’t grab his opportunity and there was a lot of competition within the French squad. It was difficult to move Payet away from the starting XI.

With Paul, we want to dominate midfield. Looking at prices for players now, the market has gone. You wonder when you are going to hit the roof. When you look at Higuain costing €97.4 million, it’s just madness.

For Paul, coming back over here, I’m sure he feels like he has some unfinished business. Coming back to United shows a good character and willingness to bring the club back and make it dominant again.

How did it come about that you were in a medical with City but then signed for Arsenal?

It’s football. Half way through the medical Arsene called me and the opportunity was too big to refuse. I need to thank Mark Hughes, because he said it was fine, that he would have done the same, and told me to go ahead. He said, ‘go to Arsenal, have the talk, and if it doesn’t happen, we will still be waiting for you here’. It was nice.

Do you still speak to any of your former United teammates?

I still speak to a few, like Andy Cole and Quinton Fortune. We meet once or twice a year with the Legends tournament. I speak on the phone with Quinton. We shared rooms when we were at United. I got on well with everybody and we keep in touch. It’s always fun to meet up with them.

Finally, what happened to make you headbutt Ljungberg that night at Highbury when we beat Arsenal 4-2?

It was one of those when something happens and you can’t control it. I had been annoyed with Bergkamp pulling my shirt, elbowing me, scratching my arms. He wasn’t as mobile towards the end of his career and he was a bit nasty. At half-time, Carlos Queiroz told me to handle him. I think I went too far. With Freddie, I just lost my cool.

I bet you felt like you owed John O’Shea a pint afterwards?

I was delighted with him!