The Manchester United legend announced he was stepping away from international duty after Euro 2004 when he was just 29 years old and he has now admitted he wishes his time represented his country was different.

He told FourFourTwo magazine: “I scored a lot of goals [on the left] for United, but with England it was different, we just played a different type of football. I just wasn’t enjoying playing for England.”

Asked if he regrets his international retirement, he admitted: “A little bit.

“I just wish my England career could have been better really, that’s my one regret.

“Do I regret stopping early? Yeah I probably do, but I wasn’t liking it at the time.

“I’d just had three young kids and I wasn’t enjoying going away and playing with England.

“It was different to Manchester United.”

The 52-year-old sportsman spent all his professional playing career at Manchester United and insisted there was never a chance he’d play anywhere else.

He added: “I had a phone call from Ryan Giggs’agent, Harry Swales, saying that Inter wanted me, but I never knew it if was true, I never knew what level it got to.

“I’d never have wanted to leave United – the only way I was going to go was if they wanted me to leave.”