Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most respected football managers in the history of the sport. The Scot is the greatest head coach of all time and his exploits with Aberdeen and Manchester United saw him earn that status. He had an aura during his time in the dugout and if he took an interest in a player, more often than not, they joined forces with him.
There weren't many players who turned down United when he came calling. Alan Shearer is the most famous example, opting to join his beloved Newcastle United when he left Blackburn Rovers rather than sign with the Red Devils. The former striker claimed he never regretted the decision, but he certainly would have won more silverware had he taken his talents to Old Trafford.
He wasn't the only English striker in the late 1990s and early 2000s that Ferguson took interest in, however. The manager also wanted to bring Michael Owen to Manchester, despite the fact that he played for one of the side's greatest rivals, Liverpool, at the time. He actually brought Owen to his office and spoke to him about his desire to play for United and, according to the former forward himself, he lied to Ferguson's face.
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Owen Told Ferguson He Wanted to Play For United
He lied and instead signed with Liverpool
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Towards the end of Owen's career, he joined Ferguson at United and soured his relationship with Liverpool fans forever. He had the chance to move to the Red Devils much earlier in his playing days, though, but instead chose his boyhood club. Speaking to Jake Humphrey on an episode of the BT Sport podcast, Owen revealed that Ferguson took him to his office early in his career and asked him whether he wanted to join the Red Devils and the ex-striker said yes. He then admitted it was a lie, though, and he only wanted to play for Liverpool at the time. Via quotes shared by the Mirror, he said:
"I'll never forget it, Sir Alex Ferguson, when I was only very young, and he literally looked me in the eye in his office at Old Trafford, again on game day. And he just looked at me and said, 'Do you want to play for Manchester United?' And I was like, 'yes,' type of thing. But obviously, you know, deep down I was a Liverpool fan at that time.
"I'd been playing at the club so you know, I basically paid him lip service. Later, obviously, I would go on to play for him, for Manchester United. But of course, at the time, I was just interested in playing for Liverpool."
He ultimately stayed at Anfield until 2004, scoring 158 goals in 297 apperances, when he left for Real Madrid. He spent just a season with Los Blancos before he returned to England and joined Newcastle United. After several years with the Magpies, during which he had a big falling out with Shearer, Owen eventually did join up with Ferguson.
United Weren't the Only Side Interested in Owen
Arsenal and Chelsea were also keen
Michael Owen
At the start of his career, Owen was scoring goals for fun. He was in blistering form and while Ferguson wanted to take him to Old Trafford, he wasn't the only one keen on the forward. According to the former Real Madrid man, both Arsenal and Chelsea wanted to sign him around the same time too. Speaking about the interest, he said:
"I remember Arsenal taking me down on the train and one of the scouts took me down on the train. And they're about to play against Coventry at Highbury. And Ian Wright met me in the marble reception area literally an hour and a half before the game. Brought me in, showed me around the dressing room, and introduced me to all the players. I met George Graham and I went and watched the game in a box.
"So that was real red carpet treatment. You know, Ian Wright, the star of the show, came out of the dressing room to meet me, and I would have only been about 12 at the time. Glenn Hoddle was another one when I went down to Chelsea. He had me in his office. I think Chelsea were playing in Norwich if memory serves me right at Stamford Bridge. And again, he had me in his office, talking to me about how much they wanted to sign me."
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 21/05/2025