5 successful emergency signings in the January transfer window

#4 Henrik Larsson to Manchester United

Larsson was the original Swedish star, long before Zlatan entered the fray. The striker was always known for his goal scoring abilities, having made his name with Celtic. So when Manchester United went out, partly forced by the injury issues to Louis Saha, to secure the Swede's services, it was his ability despite his age that brought him to Old Trafford.

While many were sceptical about how a 35-year-old playing in the Swedish league would settle so quickly in the Premier League, he was able to maintain his goal scoring prowess, scoring three times during his brief tenure.

Signed from Helsingborg on a three month deal, he came to United following his spells at Celtic and then Barcelona, with whom he won the Champions League. Larsson was able to garner a cult following for himself in Manchester as well, making a great impact during his short stay.

This was an emergency move that suited all the parties involved. The Swedish off-season continued till March, making this viable for the striker while United were on the lookout for a stop-gap striker for the short term.

While it ended on a happy note for all parties involved, the fans were left wanting some more of the Swedish striker, who had effortlessly become a crowd favourite. Later on, both Sir Alex Ferguson and Larsson stated that they rued their inability to extend the deal, and so it remains a pleasant “what if” story for all the faithful Mancunians.