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Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson opened up about some world class players he missed out on. The Scotsman has won every single trophy out there, but feels that he could have done better had he acquired some of the players in the list.In the 26 years he managed United, he won one Super Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, two Champions League trophies, four League Cup, five FA Cups, and 13 Premier League trophies. He also made Manchester United the one and only English team to win a historic treble. He honed some of the best players that the Premier League has seen, which includes the likes of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, three-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, and current England top scorer Wayne Rooney.Here is a list of players Ferguson missed out on.
#1 Ronaldo
Manchester United missing out on Ronaldo is probably one of the biggest losses for the club, as the player went on to become one of the best forwards the world. He helped his country win two World Cups, with one coming in 1994 and the other in 2002.
They wanted to buy the player from Cruzerio in 1994, but they were unable to arrange his work permit and saw him move to PSV Eindhoven. Although United had Eric Cantona to lead the strike force during that time period, United would have an even more frightening strike force with the presence of Il Fenomeno.
In a recent interview, Ferguson had the following to say: "We wanted to sign the Brazilian striker from Cruzeiro in 1994, but we could not get a work permit and he went to PSV Eindhoven."
#2 Sergio Aguero
Ferguson would definitely regret not signing Sergio Aguero when he had the chance as the Argentine cost the United legend a Premier League trophy in the 2011-2012 season. Aguero left Atletico Madrid in 2011 to join United’s neighbour Manchester City. The prolific striker has been a thorn in the Red Devil’s side since his move to the Premier League.
In the 2011-2012 season he “snatched the title from United” and created history by helping Manchester City win their very first Premier League trophy by scoring the winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time on the final day of the League.
“His agent was demanding a price we were not prepared to pay," was what the Scotsman had to say about the failed signing of Aguero. Had he splashed some cash in 2011, he would have ended his reign at Old Trafford with at least one extra Premier League trophy. Perhaps more considering the power that the Argentine forward would add to Manchester United’s strikeforce.
#3 Thomas Muller
Thomas Muller is another great signing Ferguson missed out on. United showed interest in him since he was ten years old, but were not quick enough to move forward and saw him sign for German giants Bayern Munich.
While Muller did not cause Ferguson any trouble, he troubled the 73-year old’s successor David Moyes in the Champions League match in 2013-2014 where United lost 4-2 on aggregate.
Muller though surely had no regrets as he won four Bundesliga titles with three of them coming back to back for the last three years. Apart from that he also won three DFB-Pokal and one Champions League in the 2012-2013 season.
Ferguson said: "He was a 10-year-old when we heard about him. We had him watched and the following day he committed himself to Bayern Munich."
#4 Petr Cech
Ferguson might have made a fatal error in judgement in not signing Petr Cech from Rennes in 2004, as he felt the Czech goalkeeper was not ready to face the physical demand of the Premier League.
While United missed out on signing one of the best goalkeepers seen in the Premier League, Chelsea were the fortunate ones to sign him. Although United signed another World Class shot stopper – Edwin van der Sar – the following year, the Dutchman was unable to last as long as Cech due to his age.
Cech also ended up being a formidable opponent for United in the coming years, as he denied them several important goals that would have increased their overal trophy tally.
"I went to see him in 2003 for Rennes. We thought Petr was a bit young for the bruisers of the Premier League,” was what Ferguson had to say.
#5 Lucas Moura
Ferguson not signing Lucas Moura was in complete contrast to what United under Louis van Gaal have been doing off late. The Scotsman refused to pay an exorbitant fee for the Brazilian, and saw him move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Moura though has been performing well for Paris Saint-Germain and along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic he has won three Ligue 1 trophies, one Coupe de France, two Coupe de la Ligue, and three Trophee des Champions.
“We offered £24m for him, which was upped to £30m and again to £35m, but Paris Saint-Germain signed him for £45m. [former chief executive David Gill] and I were just not prepared to go to those sorts of levels," he said.
However, in what is arguably a different financial climate, Louis van Gaal spent £36 million to bring Anthony Martial to Manchester United.
#6 Raphael Varane
Ferguson was insistent on signing Raphael Varane from Lens in 2011, but was unable to do so due to Zinedine Zidane’s interference which saw the youngster move to Real Madrid. Varane is still one of the most sought after defenders in Europe and having a player like him in the team can improve the entire team's dynamic.
While United would have gained a lot from Varane’s presence in the team, he has no regrets of joining Real Madrid. He won the La Liga in his debut season under Jose Mourinho, and went on to win a Copa del Rey and a Champions League winners medal in the years to come. He was part of the glorious Madrid squad that won La Decima for the club.
Ferguson spoke about how Zidane was a big factor in the player’s move to Real Madrid in an interview, he said: “In 2011, I hurtled down on the train from Euston to Lille to sign the young French defender Raphael Varane. David Gill was getting into the finer points of the contract with Lens, Varane’s club, when [Real Madrid ambassador] Zinedine Zidane got wind of this and somehow scooped him up for Real Madrid from under our noses. I don’t think Jose Mourinho, who was managing Real Madrid, had even seen Varane play.”
#7 Didier Drogba
Not signing Didier Drogba is probably one of Ferguson’s biggest regrets. Although he had amazing strikers at his disposal at all times, Drogba caused too many upsets for United in during his time with the Blues.
Ferguson in his interview spoke about Chelsea hijacking the player. He claims that Chelsea came in for the kill before his side were able to make a decision on whether or not they wanted to sign the player.
he said: "We want to check him out at Marseille but the club wanted £25m and Chelsea moved in for the kill before we had made up our minds."
Even though Drogba was unable to play for United, he had a trophy-laden career at Chelsea where he became a fan favorite. He won three Premier League trophies in his first run with Chelsea and won a fourth one upon his return. He also helped his Chelsea win their very first Champions League trophy.
