Sir Alex Ferguson retired not long after failing with huge double signing plan

Sir Alex Ferguson actually tried to make a huge double signing for Manchester United, just two weeks before he decided to retire.

Fergie called it a day at Old Trafford in 2013, securing his 13th Premier League title, winning it back from Manchester City, before deciding to hang up his gum.

In fact, one of his final acts as manager of the English giant, after 27 years in charge, was to fail to land a massive double swoop.

According to Patrice Evra, the Scot was planning on staying around for a while longer, and even attempted to make two huge signings.

"Two weeks before his retirement, I remember there was a lot of media saying Ferguson will maybe retire next year, and he said to me, "Patrice, I will never retire. I will be here another 10 years.

"He then said: 'My target is I'm 99 per cent sure we will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. I just need these two players to win the Champions League again. Ninety-nine per cent.'

"And to be fair, when I speak with Cristiano, I ask him and he said yes to the boss, and was coming to join United. He told me this."

The decision to bring Ronaldo back nine years ago is likely to have ended slightly better than it eventually did just weeks ago.

After his explosive interview, in which the 37-year-old buried the club, the manager and his teammates, things couldn't continue and he had his contract terminated.

Following the World Cup, the all time top scorer in men's international football is now jobless and looking for a new club, having wanted to return to the Champions League in the summer.

"After two weeks, we were in the dressing room waiting," he said.

"When we arrived at Carrington, I see all those cameras and I was like: "Wow, someone has done something wrong. Maybe a player is the story again! Someone has done something wrong, we are in trouble.

"But we arrived and people said, 'Guys, you have to stay in the dressing room because the boss wants to have a chat.'

"And when the boss came into the dressing room to talk to everyone, it's never good news.

"He came, and he said, 'I'm really sorry. Some people have said that I'm going to retire even before I say it myself. That's why you saw all those cameras. But I will retire because my wife needs me.'

"He apologised to [Robin] van Persie, he apologised to Shinji [Kagawa], because he just brought them. He apologised to them especially."