1. How important he was to Sir Alex Ferguson
When it comes to spotting talented youngsters and nurturing them, few have done it better than Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scottish manager had a knack for spotting raw talent and was right yet again, like so many times before, when he decided to move for a 19-year-old David De Gea.
Known as a strict disciplinarian, Sir Alex missed only three games in his 26-year-career as a Manchester United manager.
One of them was for his son’s wedding. One was for his brother’s wife’s funeral. The remaining one was to scout David De Gea.
The Scottish gaffer apparently found it more important to watch De Gea playing Valencia than watching his own team facing Scunthorpe on the same day. It took him 65 minutes to be convinced about making a bid for the Spaniard back then.
The following summer, Manchester United signed David De Gea for £19m. The rest, as they say, is history.
