The revelation from Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, that he has never once in his 22-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford received an inquiry for Paul Scholes was, perhaps, predictable.
"Funnily enough we have never had one inquiry and you know why?" said Ferguson, as Scholes prepares to make his 600th appearance for the club against Portsmouth on Wednesday. "They all know he wouldn't want to leave here."
The quiet man of M16, Scholes has always let his football do the talking, while other, arguably more illustrious opponents, past and present, have been always willing to sing his praises.
"I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It's Paul Scholes," club ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton said earlier this season.
World Cup winner and France legend Zinedine Zidane preferred to point to Scholes as "undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation", Edgar Davids argued "everyone of us should emulate him" and Thierry Henry was accurate in his assessment that "he knows how to do everything".
Scholes would no doubt cringe at such admiration, but that should not mask over his contribution since his debut in 1994.
The 34-year-old may no longer make his impeccably-timed runs into opposition penalty areas, but his ability to recycle the ball with such composure remains a joy to watch.
Little wonder then that England manager Fabio Capello made one last unsuccessful attempt this time last year to persuade Scholes to perform a U-turn on his decision to retire from international football.
Steve McClaren also made countless efforts to remind Scholes he was not a left-winger, as he was under Sven Goran Eriksson, and return him to the international stage, but with no reward.
Regardless, it's a safe football bet that England's loss was, and is still is, United's gain.
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