Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the greatest managers football has ever seen, having achieved success with St Mirren and Aberdeen before creating a dynasty at Manchester United.
His man-management ability and knack for winning major trophies were among the many qualities the Scottish icon possessed, which drew world-class players to Old Trafford. However, the man known as 'Fergie' didn't always get things his own way in the transfer market.
Years after calling it a day as a 13-time Premier League winner, Ferguson admitted two iconic English players escaped his grasp. Surprisingly, none of them were named Steven Gerrard, Alan Shearer or Frank Lampard.
Sir Alex Ferguson Full of Admiration For England Duo
Sir Alex Ferguson attends Scotland v Greece at Hampden Park
Ferguson was blessed with an array of extremely talented central defenders during his 27-year spell at Man Utd, including Rio Ferdinand, Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic and Steven Bruce. However, that didn't stop him from admiring leaders at the back of rival clubs.
Arsenal stalwart Tony Adams and Liverpool leader Jamie Carragher were the two men Ferguson admitted he wished he'd worked with. In 2015, Ferguson spoke glowingly of Adams, who spent his entire career with the north London giants (per ESPN):
"I think Tony Adams was a United player in an Arsenal shirt.
"I thought he'd be absolutely perfect for United. I tried a little bit when he was 19, in the reserves, but no chance."
"Those two [Adams and Carragher] are examples of how far you can go in the game when you have the inner determination and desire to be successful. You see the careers they had -- marvellous," he added, heaping praise on Carragher and Adams' respective careers.
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Both men won major honours throughout their careers, with Adams captaining Arsenal to two league successes. Meanwhile, Carragher was one of the stars of the greatest comeback in Champions League history as Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-3 in 2005.
He even thinks Carragher should've gone into management instead of punditry, stating: "I think he's got a career. He's also in television but he'd make a good manager. He's got the material."
Ferguson Regrets Not Working With 'Annoying' Chelsea Icon
Gianfranco Zola celebrates with his arms outstretched after scoring for Chelsea.
Another man Fergie wishes he could have brought to Old Trafford was Italian magician Gianfranco Zola. Spending seven years at Chelsea, Zola dazzled Premier League supporters with his creativity and dancing feet.
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""At 28, I would never play for England again...that's how strongly I felt about it."
"He annoyed me. He was one of those players who was unperturbed about who he was playing against," Ferguson said. He even went on to say he 'loved' Zola as a player, which is extremely rare for a formidable opponent. Ferguson added:
"You would always see a smile on his face, and that annoyed me. I said: 'How can he be enjoying himself playing against United? Nobody else does.'
"But he was a fantastic player. I loved watching him. He was an enjoyable player. For me to say that about an opponent tells how much I admire him."