Sir Alex Ferguson admits he felt a tinge of doubt before signing Owen Hargreaves, who he described as his "one of the most disappointing signings of my career".
Legendary Manchester United manager Ferguson landed more than a few world-class operators in his day from Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney to Roy Keane, Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand. But as is the case with every top boss, the Scot also signed a few flops for the Red Devils, including David Bellion and Bebe.
Hargreaves already had a good reputation when he joined Manchester United from Bayern Munich in 2007. The midfielder had won four Bundesliga titles and the Champions League and had also proven himself for the England national team.
But Hargreaves' playing record had Ferguson doubting the move would be a success before he arrived at Old Trafford - an inkling that, in hindsight, proved to be right on the money.
Writing in his autobiography, Ferguson explained: "I look back less fondly on our move for Owen Hargreaves, who was phenomenal in the summer of 2006 and was just the type of player we needed to fill the gap left by Keane. We started to put together a bid for him. But I studied his playing record and felt a tinge of doubt. I didn't feel a strong vibe about him. David Gill worked hard on the deal with Bayern.
"I met Owen's agent at the World Cup final in Berlin. Nice man, a lawyer. I told him we could develop Hargreaves at United. It turned out to be a disaster. Owen had no confidence in himself whatsoever. He didn't show nearly enough determination to overcome his physical difficulties, for my liking.
"I saw him opt for the easy choice too often in terms of training. He was one of the most disappointing signings of my career."
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