There was no comparison between joining Man United and Man City – just look at the shirt

A former Manchester United star admitted the ease he had in rejecting a transfer to Manchester City

Dimitar Berbatov revealed the relative ease it took to reject Manchester City in favour of signing for Manchester United.

The former striker became United's most expensive player ever in 2008 when signing from Tottenham Hotspur in a £30million deal. Berbatov, 44, had already been a prolific scorer at Bayer Leverkusen before his move to north London, where he bagged 46 goals in 102 games across two seasons.

His ability to consistently find the back of the net saw him earn interest from several clubs in the summer transfer window, with one of them being the Citizens, who were taken over by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour.

However, that was just the beginning of what would turn out to be an era of dominance on the blue side of Manchester. At the time, United remained the undisputed superior force of English football.

Fresh off a Premier League and Champions League double, it was United that Berbatov chose to sign with, and it was a decision he later admitted was one he made without hesitation.

"Look at the shirt: the red, the gold, the badge. The history, the manager, the players, the trophies," Berbatov said during his appearance on BT Sport’s What I Wore. "Back in the day, there was no comparison [between Man Utd and Man City].

"There was no second guessing or choice to be made. Just one [team]. In my mind, this was the moment to make, maybe, the last step on my mountain… my personal top."

The opportunity to play alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney was also a key aspect of Berbatov's decision to sign for United. "One of the reasons I wanted to be part of this team is because of the players," he explained.

"Who doesn’t want to play with players like [Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez]? You want to be there and be part of that team. You want to test yourself against the best players.

"It was challenging, it was fun – of course, you need to have fun along the way. And you need to hold your own – if somebody yells at you, yell back. Otherwise, they’re going to walk all over you. You need to show how strong you are.

"The mentality was different because we are talking about a winning team. You fight between each other…scream, yell and curse…but everything is about the win. You stop…the training session or the game, and it stays on the pitch."

Berbatov enjoyed a four-year stay at Old Trafford, scoring 56 goals in 149 games while winning two Premier League titles. On top of sharing the Golden Boot with former team-mate Carlos Tevez in the 2010/11 campaign, he helped United reach Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, but lost both to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

The Bulgarian icon will likely be a keen viewer of Saturday's Manchester derby in the lunchtime kick-off, with United interim boss Michael Carrick taking charge of his first game at home to their city rivals.