Although Manchester United’s performance has declined recently—last season was only their second season without playing in Europe since Alex Ferguson took over—there is no denying that, under the Scottish manager, they were the best team of the 1990s and 2000s.
Only a disastrous collapse has caused them to falter in the Premier League recently, despite the fact that several club icons have played for the Red Devils. They are dominant both on and off the field in terms of recruitment and global reach.
If they had signed some highly “United-coded” players, it could have been different. In keeping with the social media craze for “coded” heroes, GIVEMESPORT examines ten players who were very United-tailored even though they never wore the recognizable red shirt.
Harry Kane
During Fergie’s tenure at Old Trafford, United usually made it a point to get the top British players, and the Tottenham Hotspur hero’s acquisition should have followed that tradition.
Kane made his debut with Spurs in the 2014–15 season, scoring 21 goals in the Premier League, which kicked off four straight seasons in which he scored 20 goals or more.
From Eric Cantona to Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Wayne Rooney, United has always had a wealth of talented strikers. Kane began to show off in the league when he joined Robin van Persie.
Kane would have fit right in because the majority of those strikers had a knack for scoring goals and excellent build-up play. One of the major “United-coded” transfers that just never happened was him scoring goals at the Stretford End under Jose Mourinho.
Ramos, Sergio
Ramos was the epitome of everything that United was under Ferguson: a big game player, a big personality, hardworking, and an excellent leader.
Naturally, he joined Real Madrid in 2005 and started for Los Blancos right away, so it would have been challenging to finalize the agreement considering that he served as the team’s captain for a considerable amount of time.
However, it is still unclear, at least in a coded sense, why Ramos never joined United to take over as their legitimate captain following the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
His propensity to win consistently, as evidenced by his five La Liga trophies and four Champions Leagues, makes him unpopular with some fans. This is essentially how English fans saw United during Fergie’s reign.
Bale, Gareth
Before Real Madrid made a record-breaking attempt to sign Bale in 2013, United was frequently connected to the ‘best of British’ talent during the early years of his supremacy at Tottenham.
Before winning the Premier League Player of the Season award in the 2012–13 season, Bale was a rising star for Tottenham in the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. However, it was too late for United to make a move at that point.
Premier League stats for Gareth Bale, broken down by Tottenham season
Time of year
Looks
Contributions to the goal
2007–2008
8.
3.
2008–2009
16
0
2009–2010
23
8.
2010–11
30
9.
2011–12
36
22
2012–2013
33
25
After nearly two decades of having brilliant left-wingers in Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale would have been a logical successor for his countryman and future Madrid teammate, who is renowned for his entertaining value and top-tier personality. The Red Devils’ quest to get the greatest player in the division is still a case of what could have been.
Baines, Leighton
Baines, one of the most underappreciated players in Premier League history, was a key contributor to Everton’s success and reputation as the “best of the rest” under David Moyes from the middle of the 2000s to the mid-late 2010s.
The Merseyside native, who was overshadowed by Ashley Cole in terms of an England spot, was frequently linked to Old Trafford and even had a bid turned down by the Red Devils when Moyes took over as manager. He also played in an impressive 348 games for the Toffees during his 13-year tenure there with eventual United star Marouane Fellaini.
When Patrice Evra departed United in 2014, there was a huge void in the left-back position. United chose to recruit Southampton’s young Luke Shaw, but they were unaware that he would struggle with injuries.
Baines, a dedicated British player, would have fit in well with their motto and would have easily filled the quality void for at least four years.
Zidane Zinedine
As the centerpiece figure of the early Galacticos era, which included David Beckham, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, and others at the club, the Frenchman was the best player in the world in the early 2000s.
However, Zidane and United would have been a perfect match. United ought to have taken action at that time after eliminating his Juventus team in the 1999 Champions League semifinals and defeating Bayern Munich in stoppage time in the championship game.
The Red Devils ought to have made an offer that summer since he was clearly a big personality and was entertaining everyone.
Behind Zidane and Cole or Ban Nistelrooy, a midfield quartet consisting of Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, and Ryan Giggs might have prevented Arsenal’s supremacy, prevented Beckham from moving to Spain to join Zidane, and kept United at the top of the table. It doesn’t get any clearer than this when it comes to transactions that are coded as United.
Shearer, Alan
Shearer was on the verge of joining United following an enthralling string of years at Blackburn Rovers, but many will argue that the Newcastle United hero would have chosen his local team over the Red Devils anyhow.
They showed interest in him when Rovers refused to sell him to the Old Trafford team due to his remarkable record of 112 Premier League goals in just 128 appearances, including 34 during their championship-winning season against United.
Shearer under Fergie would have at least won his second Premier League title in the north-west after winning at Ewood Park, but the Magpies at the time chose to buy Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham instead, securing a world-record transaction for £15 million.
It would have been United-coded to steal the best striker in England at the time and the best of Britain from their title rivals, and maybe it was a lost opportunity.
Modric Luka
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