Fergie:"We could have saved Gazza"

Alex Ferguson may have won two UEFA Champions Leagues and ten English Premier League titles during his tenure in Old Trafford, but his failure to sign Paul Gascoigne makes him disappointed.

Alex Ferguson admitted that his biggest regret being part of Manchester United was not being able to sign Gazza. He added that, had he been able to sign him, United could have saved Gascoigne.

Ferguson comments come in the wake of the player's latest personal crisis. Gascoigne was sectioned under the Mental Health Act for the second time in five months yesterday. Ferguson said that he believed he could have helped the troubled England International by imparting some discipline.

Fergie said:"Alan Shearer is one I wish I'd signed, but for me the most disappointing of all was Paul Gascoigne."

"He was the best player of his era, a breath of fresh air because he played with a smile."

"Around 1987, when Newcastle were bobbing above the relegation zone, we played them and my three central midfielders that day were Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside and Remi Moses. All great footballers and he just tore them apart.

"Robbo and Whiteside were chasing him up and down the pitch and they couldn't get near him.

"We spoke to him the night before I went on holiday. He says 'Go and enjoy yourself Mr Ferguson, I'll be signing for Manchester United'.

"So I went on my holidays but Martin Edwards [then chairman] rang and said 'I've got some bad news - he signed for Tottenham. They bought a house for his mother and father in the North East and that swung it'.

"I think it was a bad mistake, and Paul admits it. We had Bryan Robson, a Geordie, Steve Bruce, a Geordie, Gary Pallister, from Middlesbrough...

We had a structure of players who could have helped him and it could have given him some discipline."