Ferguson said: Tim Cahill was on the radar and he had a lot of really good qualities. He had a terrific career for Everton, scored a lot of goals for them. Cahill impressed as Millwall reached the FA Cup final in 2004, only to lose to United 4-0 on the day. The Australia international moved to Everton that summer, but it seems he so nearly could have been playing in the red of Manchester United. Petr Cech The nightmare post-Peter Schmeichel years from 1999 to 2005 could have been avoided had Ferguson pulled the trigger on a move to bring a 19-year-old Petr Cech to Old Trafford in 2001. The United boss ultimately decided he was too young - a judgement he regrets to this day. In fact, this misjudgement played an important role in convincing Ferguson to boldly spend £19m on another talented young keeper, Atletico Madrids David De Gea. And it worked out in the end, as United snapped up Edwin van der Sar in 2005. But Cech was one that slipped through the net. Steven Gerrard Apparently hes not a top, top player but that didnt stop Ferguson trying to bring Steven Gerrard to Old Trafford. The Liverpool skipper was set to leave Anfield following the 2005 Champions League win, and came very close to joining Chelsea. But Ferguson tried to swoop in and clinch a shock deal for the Reds icon - a move that would caused shockwaves throughout the football world. United lost Roy Keane that season, and Ferguson clearly saw Gerrard as a handy alternative. In the end though, the Huyton-born midfielder signed a new long-term Liverpool contract. Fernando Torres Another Liverpool star, Ferguson actually scouted Torres back in his Atletico Madrid days. Back then, he wasnt exactly prolific, but the young striker took on a huge amount of responsibility, captaining the club aged 19. It seems Ferguson tried to sign Torres when he was 16, after watching him impress for the Spain youth national team. Mesut Özil OK, this ones not strictly accurate - Ferguson didnt miss out on Ozil. But he was on the clubs radar, and Wayne Rooney championed the signing prior to the 2010 World Cup. But Ferguson told Rooney what he thought of one of his players butting in, chiefly that he was solely in charge of transfer policy. But it turns out it was a pretty good call by Rooney. Ferguson says he wasnt interested because he had already agreed a deal for Javier Hernandez, but Özil has gone on to become one of the worlds best playmakers.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:24:27 +0000
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