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4 mind-blowing megastars Sir Alex Ferguson tried and failed to sign for Man Utd

The legendary Old Trafford manager signed some huge names during his time in charge but he missed out on a quartet

Sir Alex Ferguson with the Premier League trophy after the Manchester United versus Swansea City FA Premier League match, the final home game for Sir Alex Ferguson as United manager, at Old Trafford on May 12th 2013 in Manchester
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 12: Sir Alex Ferguson with the Premier League trophy after the Manchester United versus Swansea City FA Premier League match, the final home game for Sir Alex Ferguson as United manager, at Old Trafford on May 12th 2013 in Manchester (Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)

Sir Alex Ferguson signed some superstars during his glittering Manchester United managerial career.

But the legendary Old Trafford boss missed out on four huge names while at the Red Devils helm.


Fergie recruited the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney at the English Premier League giants.


However, ex Red Devils first team coach Rene Meulensteen has revealed he failed in his bid to sign Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne, Ronaldinho and Wesley Sneijder during his 26-year stint at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman, speaking to Makthavare, said: “When Sir Alex Ferguson was at Manchester United in the early parts of his career – before I joined – I know that he was keen on signing Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne.

“That was during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it obviously never materialised.

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"After I joined the club in the 2000s, I do believe Sir Alex was really keen on signing Ronaldinho from Barcelona.

(L-R) Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United,Rene Meulensteen of Manchester United during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 match between AFC Ajax and Manchester United FC at the Amsterdam Arena on February 16, 2012 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Rene Meulensteen served as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United during a golden period for the club(Image: 2011 VI-Images)

“He was absolutely exceptional during his time in Spain and he would have brought that superstar element with him to the club, which I don’t think Sir Alex would have minded as long as he was able to manage him.


“Sir Alex also looked at the possibility of signing Wesley Sneijder when Paul Scholes’ career was coming to an end.

“He would have been a very good player for Manchester United because he had so many similar features to Scholes in terms of linking the play – he had a great range of passing, could score from long range and was fantastic at finding key passes.

“The club asked me what my opinion of Sneijder was at the time because he was Dutch and I knew him, and I said that he would fit the bill perfectly for what the club wanted, but it never happened.”


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