10 Biggest Dodged Bullets In Man Utd Transfer History
3. Fernando Torres
Manchester United were closely tracking a then-16-year-old Torres shortly before he left Atletico Madrid in 2007, but former manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed the striker used the club's interest to engineer an improved contract in Spain. Reflecting on the incident, Ferguson recalled:
We watched him many times and tried to sign him when he was 16."
Instead, the forward ended up joining Liverpool. Missing out on Torres may not seem so devastating now, given he has largely struggled at Stamford Bridge, and it's impossible to say which version of the striker would have turned up at Old Trafford should any deal have come to fruition. It could have been the Torres who scored 65 goals for the Reds between 2007-11, or equally it could have been the Torres who has only managed 20 league goals in 110 appearances for Chelsea.
Whatever the case, Torres's current bad form would appear to make him seem like a bullet dodged where United are concerned, with the flop managing to muster up a measly five goals in the Premier League last season - the worst campaign in front of goal since his career began in 2000.