Mathieu Debuchy has spoken of his disappointment that his January switch to Manchester United was blocked.
The Frenchman secured a loan move to French side Bordeaux during the transfer window having struggled for regular action at the Emirates Stadium.
Aston Villa and Sunderland were both strongly linked with a move for Debuchy, but looked to have been beaten to his signature by United.
However, Arsenal blocked the move to their Premier League rivals, with the 30-year-old telling Canal +: "Yes, at the end of the transfer window they [United] came in. They contacted my agents.
“I was disappointed, obviously. If I had the chance to go to Manchester United it would have been magnificent.
"Unfortunately it wasn't the case. I discussed it with the coach too, who said that obviously he couldn't help out a rival."
For more stats on Mathieu Debuchy, click here to view his WhoScored player page
It says volumes about Man U's defence if Debuchy would have converted them from mid-table non-entities into a rival.