Manchester United have had some of the best players of all time come through their famous academy, however, the Red Devils have also signed some icons.
Sir Alex Ferguson won races to bring Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to Old Trafford, with all three becoming Man Utd legends.
However, with those at Old Trafford always on the search for high-profile signings, they have missed out on signing some superstars over the years.
10 stars who almost signed for Man Utd
Virgil van Dijk
Now a Liverpool icon and arguably one of the best centre-backs of all time, Virgil van Dijk was wanted at Old Trafford before his move to Anfield.
Jose Mourinho wanted to make a big centre-back signing and shortlisted Van Dijk, Michael Keane and Victor Lindelof. Instead of splashing the cash on the Dutchman who was starring for Southampton, United spent more than £30m on Lindelof from Benfica.
Ronaldo
Back in 1996, Ronaldo was making his name at PSV Eindhoven at the age of 20, scoring goals for fun in the Netherlands.
He was a man in demand as a result, with Ferguson and co keen to bring him to Manchester. Ronaldo was even offered to United for £20m, however, that was seen as too much at the time, with Barcelona signing the Brazilian star instead. He went on to win the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002.
Ronaldinho
Another Brazilian icon who could quite easily have been a Man Utd player was Ronaldinho, with Ferguson on the search for David Beckham’s replacement in 2003.
Man Utd were looking to do a deal for Ronaldinho who was at PSG, however, after Barcelona missed out on signing Beckham, they dealt the Red Devils a blow by landing the Brazilian. United did sign an attacker that summer, though, with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Manchester.
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Ronaldinho record vs Man Utd |
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Games |
2 |
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Losses |
2 |
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Goals |
1 |
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Assists |
1 |
Rivaldo
Continuing the trend of Brazil stars who Man Utd missed out on takes us to Rivaldo. The Red Devils had just won the treble in 1999 and Ferguson wanted to sign the forward from Barcelona.
Winning the Ballon d’Or that year, Rivaldo’s relationship with Barca manager Louis van Gaal was not great, but United just missed out on doing a deal.
Patrick Vieira
One of Man Utd’s greatest rivals in the Premier League was Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, and United actually tried to sign the Frenchman from the Gunners on two occasions.
Ferguson believed Vieira wanted to move to Old Trafford in 2001 and 2003, and there was talk of a £22m transfer once Beckham left for Real Madrid. Instead, Vieira signed a new contract to stay with Arsene Wenger.
Eden Hazard
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard looked nailed on to sign for Man Utd in 2012 before a problem with his agent arose.
The Blues paid Lille £32m to sign the Belgian, but a deal with the Red Devils broke down after United refused to pay Hazard’s agent £6m to get the deal done.
Instead of Hazard, Man Utd signed Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund.
Cesc Fabregas
Involved in an altercation with Ferguson at Old Trafford, Cesc Fabregas could have worked under the Red Devils boss after he tried to sign him from Barcelona in 2003.
Man Utd then tried again in 2013 under David Moyes, however, they had two offers rejected by those at the Nou Camp, with Fabregas instead playing for Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Zinedine Zidane
In 1996, Zinedine Zidane was on the move from Bordeaux, and Cantona urged Ferguson and Man Utd to bring him to Old Trafford.
Former United chairman Martin Edwards said that a move failed to get over the line as Ferguson thought Zidane was not what they needed at the time, with the Frenchman instead going on to star for Juventus and Real Madrid.
Erling Haaland
Now a Manchester City superstar, Erling Haaland could have quite easily have signed for the Red Devils during the 2019/20 winter transfer window.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge at the time and knew Haaland from his time at Molde, however, despite talks over a move to Old Trafford, the Norwegian rejected Man Utd and instead signed for Borussia Dortmund.
Alan Shearer
The Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer, Alan Shearer actually snubbed a move to Manchester United on two occasions. The first came in 1992 when he joined Blackburn from Southampton, and the second came four years later when he joined Newcastle.
Ferguson was personally involved in a deal to sign Shearer in 1996 and looked on course to have won the race, before Shearer’s agent called the Man Utd boss and told him they had decided to join Newcastle.
Gareth Bale
One of the most decorated British players of all time after winning five Champions League titles with Real Madrid is Wales star Gareth Bale.
However, he could have signed for Man Utd instead of Tottenham back in 2007, with talk of a £10m transfer before his move to north London. Ferguson blamed the Saints and not Bale for a deal breaking down.
“It was not the boy who turned us down,” Ferguson said. “It was Southampton.”
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