Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick is nearing the end of his tenure as manager and has opted to spill some boardroom secrets before he leaves the Old Trafford dugout.
The German revealed during his pre-match presser before the Red Devils' clash against Brighton & Hove Albion that he wanted a number of high-profile players to join the club during the January transfer window, but was told none were available by the United hierarchy.
That clearly was not the case, as one talent Rangnick wanted to bring to Manchester was Colombian international Luis Diaz from Porto. Instead, the tricky winger opted for Merseyside and has lit up the Premier League since his arrival having joined Liverpool for an initial fee of around £37million.
"The answer at the time was no there was no player on the market that could really help us – there were a few, Diaz who is now at Liverpool, (Julian) Alvarez who will be at Manchester City in the summer, (Dusan) Vlahovic who at the time still was with Fiorentina those are just three of them that come across my mind now," Rangnick explained.
This is not the first time United have ignored the advice given to them and missed out on a world-class player as a result. It is yet another damning indictment of those who have been running the club in recent years that the Red Devils have seen so many targets join rival sides.
With Rangnick's comments still fresh in the memory, Mirror Football has taken a look at six other players who United could have purchased only to see a deal fail to materialise.
Joao Cancelo
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The technically gifted Portugal international is every inch the modern day full-back with remarkable on the ball ability and a tendency to contribute to attacks. Currently of Manchester City, Cancelo could have very well been lining up in the red of United if the club had listened to the advice of one of their very own legends in Gary Neville.
"I had him as a very young player at Valencia but you could just see exceptional talent," he said on his Sky Sports podcast. "I made calls back to England - you could imagine to which club I’m talking about - [saying], ‘if you’d ever take a young player, he’s one you’d take."
Phil Neville was assistant to his brother out in Spain and is thought to have told former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to sign Cancelo, but United dithered and Juventus capitalised after a brief loan spell at Inter Milan.
Thiago Alcantara
It was only a matter of weeks ago that Thiago was enjoying the freedom of the Anfield pitch against a United side in the process of being humiliated by fierce rivals Liverpool. While the Spanish international was delivering a midfield masterclass in Merseyside, some at United may have been left wishing they had tried harder to sign Thiago when the chance presented itself in 2013.
With Thiago's exit from Barcelona reportedly imminent, confidence that he would end up at Old Trafford was so high David de Gea wrote "See you in Manchester" on a Under-21 European Championship match ball after Thiago netted a hat-trick in the final.
Another United legend in Rio Ferdinand claimed that the Spaniard phoned him trying to organise his own move to Manchester. "Before Thiago left Barcelona, he called me," the ex-England international told his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show. "I don't speak to Thiago, I don't know him, but David De Gea gave him my number.
"'He rang me, and he said: ‘Rio, I would love to come to Man Utd. Can you speak to someone?’ So I spoke to the people at the club, [David] Moyes and Woodward. I mentioned it." He went on to reveal that his tip was swiftly brushed aside by those above him, stating how he was told: "‘We're already down the line with a couple of other signings. It's fine.’"
Thiago ended up at Bayern Munich, where he spent six years before joining the Reds.
Franck Ribery
The story goes that United icon Sir Alex Ferguson decided that one of the finest wingers of his generation was not good enough after watching him for just 45 minutes. The two-time Champions League winning boss was watching Ribery in action while the Frenchman was still at Marseille as they took on Bolton in the UEFA Cup.
Ferguson was in the company of Tony Blair's former communications chief Alastair Campbell for the fixture, with Campbell recalling the night in his published diaries. "Alex was watching Franck Ribery, the Marseille winger, but decided by half-time he was not good enough for United."
A year later, Ribery joined German giants Bayern Munich for a relatively small fee of £25m and won every major honour available to him including the Champions League title.
Jordan Henderson
One of the more infamous failed signings in United's recent history, Henderson did not end up at Old Trafford due to a particularly bizarre reason. The England star is regularly seen at Anfield as the skipper of Liverpool, where he has lifted the Premier League, the Champions League and this season's Carabao Cup.
Purchased from Sunderland, Henderson had plenty of suitors as a result of his performances at the Stadium of Light but Ferguson revealed in his autobiography why he opted against a move for the future Reds captain.
"We looked at Jordan Henderson a lot and Steve Bruce was unfailingly enthusiastic about him," he wrote. "Against that we noticed that Henderson runs from his knees, with a straight back, while the modern footballer runs from his hips. We thought his gait might cause him problems later in his career."
Eden Hazard
Though his time at Real Madrid has been anything but a success, Hazard lit up the Premier League for six glorious years as he cemented his status as a Chelsea legend. Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge, Hazard helped inspire Lille to the Ligue 1 title and therefore attracted interest from plenty of clubs - including United.
However, the Red Devils opted to sign Borussia Dortmund playmaker Shinji Kagawa instead. Ferguson went on to bemoan the kind of money Chelsea paid for the Belgian while also hinting at another failed deal.
"There is a borderline in terms of what you would think is a good signing for United," Ferguson explained during Kagawa's unveiling. "I see some values on players, like Hazard for instance. To me it was a lot of money. He’s a good player, but £34million?
"What we’re finding anyway, the climate for buying these top players – not just the transfer fees, the salaries, agents’ fees – is just getting ridiculous now. In the Hazard deal, Chelsea paid the agent £6million. The [Samir] Nasri situation was the same. It’s all about what you think is value for a player.
"I am not envious of those deals at all. We placed a value on Hazard which was well below what they were talking about." Hazard went on to win the Premier League twice, as well as the Europa League and the FA Cup while Kagawa lasted just two seasons at Old Trafford.
The Louis van Gaal reign
The eccentric Dutchman won the FA Cup while at Old Trafford, but has since revealed his frustration at being unable to sign anyone from his lengthy transfer wish-list.
"I wanted Robert Lewandowski, but when this proved difficult I tried to get Gonzalo Higuain instead," Van Gaal told FourFourTwo. "Before I had arrived, I also spoke with the board about Neymar. If you are at United, you have to think big. He was also interesting for the club in terms of selling shirts, and I wanted to have quick wingers.
"For that reason, I also tried to get Sadio Mané and Riyad Mahrez. Thomas Muller was on my wish list, too, and in central midfield, I wanted N’Golo Kanté. I even tried to sign James Milner, who was already quite old but very multifunctional and possessed leadership skills.
"For the defence, I wanted Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels, because ours wasn’t the strongest in building from the back. Those were my top targets, but we couldn’t get any of them. I don’t know why, because as the manager I wasn’t involved in any negotiations. After I left, players like Mahrez and Kanté ended up at Manchester City and Chelsea, while United couldn’t get them. I found that very odd."
