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Man Utd transfer list from Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge was once leaked online

Man Utd transfer list from Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge was once leaked online

Sir Alex Ferguson pinpointed five players in 2004.

A Manchester United transfer list from Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge was once leaked online and makes for fascinating viewing.

Ferguson enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Man United, having won an impressive 13 Premier League titles during his spell at Old Trafford.

After winning the league title in the 2002/03 season, the Red Devils failed to defend their crown as Arsenal topped the league in their famous 'Invincibles' campaign.

Ahead of the 2003/04 season, however, Ferguson wasn't able to land all of his transfer targets.

The club successfully acquired three of his five targets, with a transfer list revealing the players he wanted at the time.

The list contained the names of all the players at the club at the time.

They were categorised by position and by value to the legendary Scot's squad, with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane listed.

The 'excess' section was attached to players like Diego Forlan and Nicky Butt, among others.

The 'youth potential' section included Mads Timm, Chris Eagles and Phil Bardsley to name but a few.

The final section was Ferguson's transfer targets, which included defenders Gabriel Heinze, Philippe Mexes, Vincent Kompany and Gerard Pique as well as forward Alan Smith.

Image: via@utdreport
Image: via@utdreport

Man United went onto sign three of the players on his list in Heinze, Pique and Smith.

As for Mexes and Kompany, they both stayed at Auxerre and Anderlecht respectively before earning moves in the future.

Mexes signed for AS Roma in 2004 while Kompany made the switch to Hamburg in 2006 before, of course, penning a deal at Manchester City, where he became a club legend.

As a result of Ferguson not signing the players he wanted, Man United went three seasons without winning the league.

But they got their hands on the league title once again in the 2006/07 season before winning it three years in a row.

Featured Image Credit: Getty/via@utdreport

Topics: Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, Football