Sir Alex Ferguson broke his own transfer rule at Man Utd when signing Louis Saha

04 November 2023 , 07:00

1155     0

Sir Alex Ferguson broke his own transfer rule at Man Utd when signing Louis Saha

Unsurprisingly given his longevity at the club, Sir Alex Ferguson had a number of principles he lived and died by during his legendary Manchester United tenure.

Most were non-negotiable, such as the primary focus on youth and ensuring the club continued to offer a realistic first-team pathway to their most promising youngsters. It seems, though, as there was some wriggle room when it came to some of the Scotsman's other unspoken rules.

United stalwart Gary Neville revealed back in 2020 that the boss refused to sound out his players over potential transfer targets - but Ferguson made an exception for Louis Saha.

Saha made his name in the Premier League with Fulham, where he averaged a goal every other game during a fruitful four-year period at Craven Cottage. And while his exemplary returns in front of goal seemingly propelled Saha to Ferguson's attention, he sought the opinion of those within the United dressing room after coming up against the former France international.

"Sir Alex never asked us which players we should sign or never asked us information about players he was going to sign," Neville previously told Sky Sports.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

"But after we played Fulham one time in the FA Cup [back in 2001], he actually asked us as defenders, would we sign Louis Saha? We all said yes straight away.

Join the debate! How good was Saha for Man Utd? Let us know here.

Sir Alex Ferguson broke his own transfer rule prior to signing Louis Saha (John Peters/Manchester United)

"I remember the season where he was playing up front with Wazza [Wayne Rooney] in 2006 and it was unbelievable; they were fantastic together. Louis was a brilliant, brilliant player. He gave me absolute nightmares when I used to play against him when he played for Fulham - him and Luis Boa Morte."

Saha subsequently joined Manchester United in 2004 and would prove to be a roaring success at Old Trafford, where he would go on to win two Premier League crowns and the Champions League.

In total, Saha plundered 42 goals in 124 games before joining Everton in the summer of 2008. As Neville outlined, he struck up an imperious partnership with United's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney, who had high praise for the Frenchman back in 2012.

Saha was a big hit at Old Trafford after joining United in 2004 (The Daily Mirror)

When Rooney was asked to name the most talented player he worked with at Old Trafford, he told Shortlist: "There are so many but I'm going to say, Louis Saha. He was a fantastic player, a real handful for anyone and I just really enjoyed playing off him. He was so lively, a real striker who made great runs in behind and who was always making space for others."

Dan Marsh