And while the defender waited for a dream Three Lions call-up, the then Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts spoke with him ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
That represented a rise of £60m from the previous year, when they had fallen narrowly behind United in the revenue list. But with United's latest figures showing a slight fall to £590m, to add to their on-pitch woes under Jose Mourinho.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were drawn in Group Aof the forthcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a drilling CAF draw in the cityof Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Thursday, October 12.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Guardiola hailed Haaland, saying his reliability in front of goal means Man City will always have a chance in games even if they fall behind.
However, the hopes for a three-way title fight seem to have been crushed by Liverpool's disastrous run of results, dropped points to Crystal Palace, West Ham and most notably Everton have seen Jurgen Klopp's side fall out of contention for the
Spurs could have drawn level on points with fourth-placed Manchester City with a win, but continue to fall away from the top-placed sides in the divisions with another defeat.
While Murphy expects Manchester City to fall short in pursuit ofa third straight Premier League title, he says Pep Guardiola's side can conquer Europe.
There are also behind-the-scene speculations that the fallof Wenger legacy is responsible for the current club's woes as those who built the team with Frenchman have been shown the exit door.