Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that United tried to sign Tottenham Hotspur star, Gareth Bale, when he was still a kid at Southampton. After our bid failed, he later joined Spurs for £10m and has gone from strength to strength.

“We tried to sign him as a 16 or 17-year-old boy,” said Ferguson. “Southampton had a Scottish chief executive and George Burley was the manager. I don’t know the full circumstances but they didn’t accept our offer and I think they must have alerted Tottenham.”

Fergie is still a fan of the Spurs winger and is praiseworthy of what he’s done this season.

“Bale has made the best contribution without a doubt. Eleven goals for a wide player is a really good return.”