Fergie wanted Torres

Fernando Torres was chased by Sir Alex Ferguson whilst the Spanish striker was still at Atletico Madrid. Although Torres joined Liverpool, Man Utd were desperate to land the striker for several seasons.

"For years we tried to do a deal there but we never quite managed it because Atletico Madrid didn't want to sell or the player felt he was too young one year," said Ferguson.

"Then we just lost interest a bit because sometimes you get fed up with going back to the same venue all the time. He's a good player. We wouldn't have been interested in him if he wasn't.

"I think the advantage Rafa had was that he is Spanish and his dealings with Atletico were maybe better than ours because he's Spanish."