In November last year, however, he had a change of heart and announced that he would play again if selected.

It wasn't until four years after his international debut, in his 24th game for the Red Devils, that he scored his first goal for his country in the 9-0 crushing of Zambia in the build-up to USA 94.

Since then, however, he has developed a knack for scoring crucial goals, including four in the qualifiers for France 98.

Some critics have questioned his strike rate of 11 in 52 appearances, but his goal-scoring prowess for Anderlecht cannot be questioned.

In six seasons he scored more than 100 goals and helped them to three successive League titles, between 1993 and 1995, and he also scored in the club's 2-0 victory over Bruges in the 1993 Belgian Cup final.

The best, though, was yet to come. After joining PSV Eindhoven two years later, he scored 21 goals in his first season and was proclaimed Player of the League.

He repeated the dose with a further 21 the following season as PSV won the Dutch championship.