Manchester United were “99%” confident of putting deals in place for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale prior to Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
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- Legendary coach won 13 Premier League titles
- Was prepared to continue with the right backing
- Stunning double transfer coup never came off
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WHAT HAPPENED?
That revelation has been made by former Red Devils defender Patrice Evra. The French full-back formed part of the squad at Old Trafford that saw a legendary Scottish coach walk away from the dugout in 2013 on the back of a 13th Premier League title triumph.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ferguson, who had backed out of retiring once before, was ready to extend his iconic spell at the helm as a stunning double swoop for former fan favourite Ronaldo – who left for Real Madrid in 2009 – and then Tottenham star Bale was lined up.
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WHAT EVRA SAID
Evra has told of Ferguson walking away: “One of the most saddest days, I didn’t cry, I was in shock. The reason why is because two weeks before, he brought me into his office [and said], ‘Patrice look at those people, they think I'm going to retire, I’m going to be [at the club for] another 10 years, but we need to win more Champions Leagues. He said, ‘Patrice, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed 99 per cent to come back and Gareth Bale [too].”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Evra added on United being left empty-handed: “He needed £200 million and the club refused to give him those £200 million. And now, they spent a billion on whatever… it was 2013, just before he retired, so that [is] why I remember when I got out of his office, I was like, 'Cristiano is back, Gareth Bale, we’re back in business' after winning the title and everything.”
