Sir Alex Ferguson reveals his biggest regret at Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that his biggest regret at Manchester United is not signing Paul Gascoigne. He claimed the Red Devils were interested in getting the Englishman, but by then Gascoigne had already agreed to a deal with Tottenham.
In an interview with Gary Neville for LADbibleTV (via Mirror), the legendary manager added that he believes the Tottenham star was the best English player since Bobby Charlton.
Sir Alex Ferguson also insisted Paul Gascoigne made a mistake by opting to join Tottenham instead of Manchester United. He said:
"Gascoigne, without question. I think he was the best English player since Bobby Charlton. I think he was a fantastic player. Unfortunately, we didn't get him and I think, looking back now, he made a big mistake. He recognised it himself years later. But we had Geordies in the camp. We had Bobby Charlton, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, even Gary Pallister from Middlesbrough.
"We had people there who would have taken care of him, particularly Bryan Robson who is fantastic with players. Instead, he goes to an island in London, and you're easily swallowed up there as a young lad. I think that was a big mistake by him."
Ferguson went on to admit how much he loved Gascoigne's strength. He elaborated on how he made every effort to get Gascoigne at Old Trafford only to learn that Tottenham had beaten them.
"He was a marvellous player. I loved his strength. He was unbelievable and I said to Martin Edwards on the way home: 'Sign this boy. Get on the phone to him on Monday.' And by that time, he had already done a deal with Tottenham, which was really unfortunate. That was a disappointment because he agreed to sign and then Tottenham changed his mind by buying his mother and father a house," said the former Manchester United manager.
Manchester United have not been the same without Sir Alex Ferguson
Manchester United have not been anywhere close to their best since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. The manager bid adieu to the club with the league title in his final season in 2012-13, but the Red Devils have not won a single Premier League title since.
Manchester United, however, have won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho and have an opportunity to win it again this season.