Five players Manchester United regret not signing

Manchester United are one of the most monumental clubs in the world. The Old Trafford is rightly called football’s ‘Mecca’ and its no secret that the club remains on the shortlist of every young footballer who wishes to make it into professional football.

Over the years, Manchester United have signed some of the greatest players ever to have graced the pitch. These players are the reason why Manchester United stands as one of the greatest clubs in the world today.

However, the club has also missed out on real top talent worthy of rueing about. On that note, let’s have a look at the top 5 players Manchester United may have regretted not signing.

5. Frank Lampard

211 goals. 211 times the ball rattling the net to the courtesy of slick finishes coming from the foot of one of the greatest English players in the modern game.

That’s right. Before Frank Lampard came on to the scene, 211 goals being scored by a midfielder was virtually unheard of and practically impossible to realize. But the Chelsea legend awed everyone who watched as he slowly willed the feat into solid reality over a course of 13 years.

When Lampard was at West Ham, Manchester United were also keeping tabs on the youngster with a view of making a potential move. But the business never took place and seeing Lampard being snapped up by Chelsea remains one of the greatest regrets of Sir Alex Ferguson’s illustrious career.

When asked about Lampard, the great old man said,

“He has been incredible. We looked at him at West Ham when he was a young player and I have to say I regret not doing any business. Where else could I get 200 goals from midfield?”

Had he arrived at Old Trafford, it would have been a treat to watch Lampard strike the cord with the likes of Scholes and Giggs in the midfield.

4. David Silva

David Silva is hands down one of the greatest foreigners ever to have played in the Premier League. The Spaniard has become the spine of Manchester City’s midfield as the club have achieved newer heights of glory.

When it comes to recognizing raw talent, few are better than business in Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot had been right enough to pick out a young David Silva for scouting but was unsure if it would be the right move to sign him.

“We watched Silva a lot when he was at Valencia. My problem with that was you have to be very, very good to play in that position because there’s no defensive duties for them. If you’re wanting to be really successful, everyone has to do their turn, has to work, you know? So I had a difficulty with that,” he said.

Apparently, the United boss was dubious about offering the no.10 role with no defensive responsibilities. However, City did the very same and they have a legendary Merlin in the midst.3. Sergio Aguero

Yet another gem that got away. When it comes to strikers in the English Premier League, it is very difficult to find marksmen who can be consistent in front of goal.

With Wayne Rooney’s diminishing form and no reliable goalscorer in the setup, the Red Devils were searching for a suitable goalscorer who could provide them with 20 goals every season. That’s when they stumbled upon Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero but decided against splashing the cash on him.

Back in 2015, Sir Alex revealed the reason behind not signing the Argentinian in his new book Leading. He wrote,

“His agent was demanding a price we were not prepared to pay.”

As it is clearly visible, not signing Aguero was one of the most fatal decisions every taken. In his past 8 seasons with Citizens, Aguero has managed to break the 20-goal barrier 7 times. On top of that, he is now the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and one of the most dangerous players to play against it.#2 Gareth Bale

Back in 2007, Manchester United had come asking for a young Gareth Bale but baulked at Tottenham’s £5m asking price. Sir Alex was on point yet again in recognizing the Welshman’s talent and viewing him as a future replacement for Ryan Giggs.

Now, when you look at the giant monster that Gareth Bale has become, it is hard to not feel the regret of passing the chance to sign him.

Bale has been one of the key players in Real Madrid’s most glorious era in their history. Come to think of it, those two scorchers against Liverpool in the Champions League final could have been bought for just £5m!

Interestingly, Manchester United tried to rectify their mistake in 2014 when Gareth Bale signed for Real Madrid, but in vain. #1 Zinedine Zidane

To put it simply, Zinedine Zidane’s football was poetry on the pitch. Such was the grace and elegance of his style, the Frenchman is regarded as one of the top 10 greatest players ever to have graced the beautiful game.

And, he could have easily worn the famous red shirt of Manchester had Ferguson not decided to pass him back in 1996 when he was looking to leave Bordeaux.

Apparently, the great grandad of Old Trafford didn’t make a move for the Frenchman because he felt that Zidane played in the same position as Eric Cantona.

“When Zidane was at Bordeaux, Les Kershaw, the chief scout, was telling me we should be interested in him and I mentioned it to Alex.”

“Alex said that Eric [Cantona] had also mentioned Zidane to him but Alex felt Zidane played in the same position as Eric.”

“Having gone over to France to persuade Eric to re-sign for us, after the Crystal Palace incident [when Cantona was banned for eight months after clashing with a football fan at Selhurst Park in 1995], he felt that, if he had brought Zidane in, it may have affected Eric’s position, so he stuck with Eric.”

Giggs, Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Zidane Cantona – as sweet as that lineup sounds, those names were never heard in a single breath at Old Trafford

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