Zlatan Ibrahimovic was "on the radar" of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson many times, the Scotsman's former assistant Mike Phelan has said.
Phelan, the caretaker manager of Hull -- who face United on Saturday and have also taken six points from two games -- was assistant to Ferguson between 2008 and 2013.
And he told the Manchester Evening News that Ibrahimovic, who joined United in the summer, could have moved to Old Trafford much sooner.
"There have to be moments, in a career span like Sir Alex Ferguson had, when you come across and think about such star players as Zlatan Ibrahimovic," he said.
"The size of Manchester United means you want to recruit the very best. It demands it. He had to be a target.
"I am sure he was on the radar many times. But he was at top, top clubs and because of that, even though it was Manchester United, the prospect of him moving to the Premier League was always very slim -- he was at the best anyway.
"He has not been outside of one of the top clubs in the world in his career. When somebody has hold of a talent like that, they are not looking to let him go until they are ready."
Phelan compared United's move to bring in the 34-year-old Ibrahimovic to their recruitment of Eric Cantona in 1992.
"Every football club wants a catalyst to take it forward," he added. "They want somebody different who can galvanise and bring on other talents even further.
"Zlatan has that sense of presence and confidence to handle all that. He is the right player at the right time at the right club.
"Eric was the same. He was certainly a catalyst. He brought expectation and spirit. United fans want to see players who express themselves, and Eric was certainly able to do that."