'I wish United had signed them' XI

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

This doesn't have to be a combined 11 of players who we nearly signed (although I've included a few of those in my team), but 11 players who we realistically could have signed. I went with:

Emi Martinez (2023)
Lahm (2004), Thiago Silva (2020), Ramos (2015), Bale (2007)
Modic (2011), Kroos (2014),
Zidane (1996), Ronaldinho (2003),
Benzema (2009), Haaland (2019)

GK was the only position I struggled with, as asides from those few years between Schmeichel-Van Der Sar, I wouldn't have changed a thing up until recently. I went with Emi Martinez as I reckon if we had chucked 50m at Villa last summer then they'd have sold him.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

Van Der Sar (1999)
Ronaldinho (1998)
Overmars (1997)
Zlatan (2004)
Torres (2007)

Are the main ones that come to mind when I think of players I wish we signed.. These are the main ones that I wanted at that time and still wish had played for us for various reasons (obviously some of them did, but I mean for longer in those cases).

 

[Pughnichi]

Neuer
Lahm
Varane (from Lens)
Hummels
Pearce
Vidal
Modric
Gascoigne
Ronaldinho
Shearer
Batigol

 

[PSV]

Nico Gaitan and Wes Sneijder would have been fire. I think they were both linked at some point.

 

[The Cat]

We should have got Robben too.

 

[Ole'sgunnarwin]

Van Der Sar 1999

Frimpong 2021
Gabriel 2019
Van Dijk 2015
Bale 2012

Mikel 2003
Fabregas 2014
Modric 2011

Robben 2003
Ronaldinho 2003
Haaland 2022

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Neuer
Lahm
Varane (from Lens)
Hummels
Pearce
Vidal
Modric
Gascoigne
Ronaldinho
Shearer
Batigol

Gazza was one who I was very close to including in my 11. Would loved to have seen how he fitted in with the class of 92. He'd have helped eased the burden of UEFAs '3 foreigner' rule as well.

Van Der Saar 1999

Frimpong 2021
Gabriel 2019
Van Dijk 2015
Bale 2012

Mikel 2003
Fabregas 2014
Modric 2011

Robben 2003
Ronaldinho 2003
Haaland 2022

I never even contemplated the notion that we could have gone from Schmeichel straight to Van Der Sar in 99. Imagine

 

[Bubz27]

Sanchez from Udinese would've been amazing for us.

 

[PvsNP]

Neuer

Lahm
Van Dijk
Ramos
Bale

Modric
Zidane
Thiago
Kante

Ronaldinho
Batistuta

 

[The Purley King]

Shearer is the massive “miss” for me. When he left Southampton I mean. Once Newcastle were keen when he left Blackburn he was only going there but we missed a trick before that.
Gazza is the other one. I think fergie could have tamed him and got the best out of him.
Haven’t picked anyone post Ferguson as we’ve been managed by such a selection of poor choices I don’t think any different signings would have made a meaningful difference.

 

[Oranges038]

Taibi
Darmian Lindelof Bailly Telles
Kleberson Djemba2 Fred
Obertan Lukaku Sanchez

​

 

[3KDré]

If we go back far enough, it's a lot of names. Most recently though? I think we'd never have gotten Bellingham but Rice is the one we missed out on. Perfect Mainoo partner.

 

[Todd]

Sanchez from Udinese would've been amazing for us.

After the 2010 World Cup I desperately wanted us to sign him.

 

[NicolaSacco]

Neuer

Lahm
Van Dijk
Ramos
Bale

Modric
Zidane
Thiago
Kante

Ronaldinho
Batistuta

I know they’re different ages, but that would be one hell of a team. And actually pretty well balanced too. I wonder how many Batistuta would score with Ronaldinho, Zidane and Modric behind him.

 

[PvsNP]

If we go back far enough, it's a lot of names. Most recently though? I think we'd never have gotten Bellingham but Rice is the one we missed out on. Perfect Mainoo partner.

Bellingham was at Carrington before moving to Dortmund. If Murtough didn't interrupt SAF's sales pitch, I thnk things could have turned out differently. We'd probably still lose him to Madrid though.

 

[bosnian_red]

Hard to do an 11. I'll just put some options that I can think of from the top of my head. Wasn't much of a transfer muppet before the 2010's, was pretty content and always felt like we had a world class team all around that would be hard to improve on.

GK:

• De Gea was my #1 post Van Der Sar and we got him. Don't remember having big preferences before Van der Sar, was a kid who just focused on attack and midfield player

RB:

• Maicon from Inter
• Lahm after he scored a banger at the 2006 world cup on opening day I think

CB:

• Hummels from Dortmund

LB:

• Alex Sandro possibly? Probably nobody really. We had Evra there for ages and then replaced him with Shaw, Heinze before Evra, so it's been ages since left back was on the list of needs. Small gap between Heinze and Irwin.

CDM/CM/CAM:

• Modric from Spurs
• Kroos from Bayern
• Sneijder from Inter - loved him as a player, for the best we didn't sign him given his drop off after. Also wanted him when we were selling Ronaldo to Madrid. Could've got both Sneijder and Robben
• Thiago from Barca
• Arturo Vidal from Juve
• Schweinsteiger after the 2006 world cup (even though I think he played as a winger at that world cup?)
• Kante from Leicester

Wing

• Bernardo Silva from Monaco
• Sane from Schalke
• Alexis Sanchez after Udinese and then before the 2014 world cup
• Hazard from Lille in 2012- was desperate for it, gutted we missed him
• Lucas Moura back in 2012 once Hazard fell through
• Reus from Dortmund
• Robben when we were selling Ronaldo to Madrid

CF

• Ibra when Juve got relegated
• Dzeko from Wolfsburg
• Lewandowski before we signed RvP in 2012

 

[Lougie86]

Batistuta is the number 1 for me

 

[SalfordRed18]

Van Der Sar (1999)
Ronaldinho (1998)
Overmars (1997)
Zlatan (2004)
Torres (2007)

Are the main ones that come to mind when I think of players I wish we signed.. These are the main ones that I wanted at that time and still wish had played for us for various reasons (obviously some of them did, but I mean for longer in those cases).

There needs to be a case study on what happened to Torres tbh. There's purple patches, and then there's being one of the best strikers in the world to gash in a couple of months.

Would have been mint at united for those three seasons he was tearing shit up.

 

[thisisnottaken1]

I remember back when I wanted us to sign Thomas Müller. Not realistic, I know.

 

[Stack]

Sadio Mane
Odegaard
Ronaldinho
Kante
A quick 4 players, so many over the years though

 

[Remember the geese]

Most of these were probably unrealistic, but they were players I wanted us to sign who we were linked with on occasion.

Neuer (Schalke), Lizarazu (Bayern), Nesta (Lazio), Ayala (Valencia), Thuram (Parma/Juve), Vieira (Arsenal), Rivaldo (Barcelona), Ronaldinho (PSG), Hazard (Lille), Ronaldo (Inter), Batistuta (Fiorentina)

 

[Pughnichi]

Remember as a kid seeing the back page of the M.E.N (all the rage back then) and there was a full page image of Mark Vivien-Foe being linked to Utd as a midfield enforcer long before he first came to the EPL. He looked an absolute giant of a man to a young kid. I was sold on him immediately.

RIP

 

[Lay]

Shearer is the one for me. We would have won another UCL with him

 

[ROFLUTION]

Neuer
Lahm - Militao - CB - LB
Modric - Kroos
Hazard - Ronaldinho - Bale
Shearer

Don't believe Haaland or Ramos was ever really considering us. Don't think we went for Mané neither, so that spot went to Hazard.​

 

[black country red]

If I remember right we where heavily linked with vieira in 2001 what a beast of a signing that would have been

 

[JogaBonitoRooney]

Bale as DM for OP?

 

[Zen86]

Ronaldinho
Sneijder
Benzema
Modric

 

[Sandikan]

Shearer is the massive “miss” for me. When he left Southampton I mean. Once Newcastle were keen when he left Blackburn he was only going there but we missed a trick before that.
Gazza is the other one. I think fergie could have tamed him and got the best out of him.
Haven’t picked anyone post Ferguson as we’ve been managed by such a selection of poor choices I don’t think any different signings would have made a meaningful difference.

Yes to Shearer in one way, but we probably wouldn't have won more.
Cole would have had to be sold as you doubt him and Shearer would have worked.

Without Cole you don't get the interchange with Yorke and the treble. Solskjaer might not have been signed either.

 

[Sandikan]

Took a while to see Hazard.

He was a huge miss. We were close but it was in our stubborn no value/no huge agents fee period.
Missing an absolutely worldy when we were playing hard workers but limited players like Valencia and Young.

 

[Ole'sgunnarwin]

Yes to Shearer in one way, but we probably wouldn't have won more.
Cole would have had to be sold as you doubt him and Shearer would have worked.

Without Cole you don't get the interchange with Yorke and the treble. Solskjaer might not have been signed either.

I agree, feck Shearer. Wouldn't have changed anything about our front 4 in 99

 

[stevoc]

Shearer 1996
Ronaldo 1996
Van Der Sar 1999
Ronaldinho 2003

 

[stevoc]

Took a while to see Hazard.

He was a huge miss. We were close but it was in our stubborn no value/no huge agents fee period.
Missing an absolutely worldy when we were playing hard workers but limited players like Valencia and Young.

People forget his wages were also a major stumbling block. He wanted and got £180-200k a week from Chelsea. Ferguson is quoted as saying that was the main reason we didn't get him, he wouldn't pay a 22 year old a salary like that.

 

[roonster09]

Neuer when he was at Schalke
Kroos before LVG took over
Thiago before Moyes took over
Hazard
Ronaldinho
Shearer/Batistuta
Cavani when Moyes wanted to sign him
Kante when Chelsea signed him
Robben before Chelsea signed him and when he left Madrid.
Bale when we tried to sign him from Southampton

 

[altodevil]

Hazard and Sneijder are the two big ones for me.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Bale as DM for OP?

Nope. LB.

 

[Munkehboi]

Ronaldinho. He would have been immense.i used to watch Barca just to watch him. Was so excited when we were linked with him. Bloody Barca!

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

Vidal in 2015 instead of Di Maria. We needed Vidal more at that point for balance. Also any of Kroos, Fabregas or Thiago between 2013 and 2015. More recently, Kamara when he went to Villa for free would have been a good player to have.

 

[Acrobat7]

Hijack: Bayern having an agreement with KDB but not willing to meet Wolfsburg‘s asking price still pisses me off.

 

[JJ12]

Ronaldinho and Batistuta are the 2 biggest for me. Loved them both.

 

[msjmohd83]

• Neuer
• young Varane
• Thiago
• Bale
• Robben
• Hazard
• young Owen
• Benzema