Manchester: New Manchester United striker Henrik Larsson said he could not turn down the opportunity to move to Old Trafford and join the Premier League title race.
Larsson has signed for United on loan from home town club Helsingborgs in a deal running from January 1 to March 12.
The move means a first taste of English football for the former Sweden international, who was often linked with a move to England during a prolific spell in Scotland with Celtic.
"When I was up at Celtic me and my family were very settled there," Larsson told a news conference on Wednesday. "That was part of the reason why we didn't come down here at the time. At the time we had a good team with Celtic as well.
"But when I heard about this loan deal to Manchester United I thought this is a chance that I couldn't say no to. I am 35 years old and I don't think there will be another time when I get the chance to join such a big club."
Larsson has joined Alex Ferguson's side with United two points ahead of Chelsea at the top of the table. Ferguson believes the striker's experience and goalscoring ability could provide a crucial advantage in the title race.
Goal Instinct
"The championship race looks like it will go the whole road and players like Henrik will help us with that," said Ferguson. "The short period he is with us could be the most important part of the season for us, and I hope it is.
"The most important thing about Henrik is that he has a tremendous goal instinct which has carried him right through his career and has always been there and I think that's a great addition we are bringing to our club."
The former Barcelona striker, who left Spain at the end of last season to return to Swedish football, will not play his first league game until January 13.
His debut could come in the FA Cup third round tie at Old Trafford on January 7 against Aston Villa, who are managed by Martin O'Neill.
Larsson played under O'Neill for part of his spell at Celtic, where he scored 242 goals in 315 games. Larsson added: "I saw it as a great challenge to come over here and play for a great club like Manchester United. It's a great club with a big history and a great tradition so I feel really good to be here.
"But I understand how important all of this is. There's no question that it's a very important time and I am fully aware of that."
Larsson met his new United team mates for the first time before their defeat at West Ham last Sunday. He is training with the club this week and will return on Jan. 2 to prepare for a possible 13-match stint, including both legs of United's Champions League last-16 tie with Lille.
"I'm very excited," said the Swede. "I've seen the players on television and played against them in World Cups. They're great players, world class players and I'm really looking forward to it."
Comments
0 comment