Sir Alex Ferguson made contact for two major Man Utd signings and was denied transfers due to ‘various reasons’

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Sir Alex Ferguson was denied the opportunity to bring two major signings to Manchester United during his legendary 26-year reign at Old Trafford.

That is according to ex-Tottenham and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, who revealed Ferguson had called him about signing two of his former players for United.

Ferguson, who named one player he wished that he managed, wanted the best in class at United and would do everything in his power to bring them to Old Trafford.

However, even the former United manager missed out on important transfer targets, with Jose Mourinho recently opening up on a player he landed ahead of Ferguson.

Despite missing out on players, Ferguson enjoyed an incredible spell at United and had a star-studded roster of talent that helped him achieve incredible success.

The 81-year-old iconic Scotsman often praised his players at United, but even Ferguson admitted that he only ever managed four world-class players in his time.

United players who arrived at Old Trafford have spoken about their first meetings with Ferguson, with the Scot not afraid to make personal calls to sign his targets.

READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson only allowed one Man Utd figure to make fun of him during his time at Old Trafford

Redknapp reveals Ferguson’s two United targets

Redknapp was in charge of several clubs during his longstanding managerial career, including West Ham, Portsmouth, Birmingham City and Spurs.

The 76-year-old former manager, whose last spell in the dugout was with Birmingham City in 2017, crossed paths with Ferguson both on the pitch and off it.

Redknapp has said that Ferguson was keen to sign West Ham cult hero Paolo di Canio, who arrived at the club in 1999, during his spell in charge at the Hammers.

The former West Ham boss would hear from Ferguson again when he was leading Spurs, with the United legend keen to acquire ex-Tottenham star Luka Modric.

Speaking to The Sun, Redknapp said: “I remember Fergie calling about Luka Modric and Paolo di Canio, but for various reasons he couldn’t get the deals done.”

Modric would have been perfect for Ferguson’s United

Modric arrived at Spurs in 2008 from Dinamo Zagreb and the 38-year-old Croatian midfielder shone during Redknapp’s time in charge of the Premier League club.

The Croatia international’s sensational run of form at Tottenham caught the eye of Real Madrid in 2012, with Modric completing his move to the Spanish capital.

Following his £30m transfer to Los Blancos, Modric established himself as a central figure in the Madrid midfield and forged a formidable partnership with Toni Kroos.

Modric’s career hit new highs when he led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, with the Madrid star later lifting the coveted Ballon d’Or award.

The Croatia midfielder’s success post-Spurs showed exactly why Ferguson was so keen to land Modric before his retirement from United in 2013.

United fans can only dream of what a midfield partnership Modric could have forged with Paul Scholes before the Red Devils legend called it time on his career.