10 Players You Didn't Know Man Utd Almost Signed

By Joseph Dempsey / August 29, 2014

1. Paul Gascoigne

Back in the late 1980's, after leaving Newcastle United, Manchester United came within a sunbed away from signing England legend Paul Gascoigne. The midfielder had reached a verbal agreement with Sir Alex Ferguson that he would join the Red Devils, but instead received a more lucrative offer from Tottenham Hotspur. The eccentric Gascoigne once explained in his own, inimitable way:

"I was thinking Man U is a massive club, so I thought I€™ll go to Man U €“ they offered us big wages. Alex Ferguson says, 'I€™m going on holiday, I€™ll see you when I get back.' 'OK, enjoy your holiday, I€™ll sign'.

"And so as I was driving to Manchester I get a phone call from Irving Scholar : 'Paul, we€™ll give you £2,500 a week. Not only that, we€™ll buy your dad a house', so I said, 'Ma and dad, Spurs are gonna buy us a house, what do you think?' 'Sounds good, son.' So I said, 'All right then, yes.'

"Going a bit further, dad calls up, he says, 'Son, what about a car?' and I say, 'Irving, listen, what about a car for me dad, BMW private reg?' 'Yeah, we€™ll give him that as well' And now I€™m like, 'Dad they€™re giving us that as well.' I can hear my sister in the background: 'I want a sunbed,' so they threw that in as well."

Can't argue with that...