Manchester United's transfer wishlist was leaked, highlighting where in the squad the manager felt the team needed strengthening the most
Sir Jim Ratcliffe Sir Alex Ferguson a
Manchester United's transfer plans were sensationally leaked(Image: Jean Catuffe, Getty Images)
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Back in 2004, Manchester United's transfer wishlist was sensationally leaked - and astonishingly, most of the players on it would eventually sign for the club.
At that moment, the Red Devils were in the midst of arguably the toughest stretch of Sir Alex Ferguson's Premier League reign. They had just lost the title to Arsenal's Invincibles and were about to endure two seasons of unsuccessful pursuit of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Nevertheless, Ferguson's careful squad management eventually turned things around - even if part of his plan was made public. The revelation came in the form of an intriguing photograph of a document titled Player Analysis. It categorised United's team into four groups: squad, excess, youth potential and transfer targets.
Players like Nicky Butt and Diego Forlan were placed in the excess column, hinting at potential departures. Academy prospects including Kieran Richardson, Tom Heaton and Phil Bardsley were under youth potential, suggesting they were being prepped for first-team roles in the future.
The most eye-catching column, though, was transfer targets, which listed then-Barcelona youth star Gerard Pique, PSG full-back Gabriel Heinze and Leeds forward Alan Smith - all of whom would join United that summer. Two other players on the list, however, slipped through the club's grasp.
Vincent Kompany, then a teenage prodigy at Anderlecht and future Manchester City captain, was one. The other was Auxerre defender Philippe Mexes, who would later play for Roma and AC Milan.
A leaked photo of Man Utd's transfer wishlist
The leaked photo offered an insight into United's transfer strategy in 2004
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The document offered a rare insight into Ferguson-era recruitment and the strength of United's scouting. In 2004, Pique, Heinze, Kompany and Mexes were largely unheralded, yet all would eventually enjoy top-level success.
Pique's career at Old Trafford, though, did not reach its potential. Struggling to displace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, he returned to Barcelona, where he became one of modern football's top central defenders, collecting nine La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies and seven Copa del Reys.
Heinze spent three reliable years at United, but a 2006 injury forced the club to sign Patrice Evra, who soon took over as first-choice left-back. Heinze departed in 2007 for Real Madrid. Smith, meanwhile, initially impressed at Old Trafford but was plagued by injuries, eventually moving to Newcastle in 2007.
Gerard Pique poses with Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United while holding a United scarf after signing for Manchester United
Gerard Pique was included on United's list of transfer targets in 2004 - and joined the club later in the year
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Arguably the most impactful signing that summer, missing from the leaked list, was Wayne Rooney. United paid £27million to sign him from Everton, a record for a teenager.
Rooney went on to become United's all-time leading scorer with 253 goals and captained the team, cementing his status as a Red Devils legend.
All players on the excess list left that summer too. Butt joined Newcastle, Forlan moved to Villarreal and Luke Chadwick went to West Ham. Ricardo was released on a free transfer, while Michael Stewart went on loan to Hearts before leaving permanently the next year.
Diego Forlan and Sir Alex Ferguson
Diego Forlan struggled at Manchester United - but excelled after leaving(Image: 2003 Manchester United)
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United mostly made wise choices, though selling Forlan may have been an exception. The Uruguayan struggled in his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, failing to score in his first season. Yet once he left, he finally fulfilled the potential United had seen when signing him from Independiente.
Forlan scored just 17 goals in 98 appearances for United but hit 25 in his first season at Villarreal. After three prolific seasons there, he joined Atletico Madrid and scored 96 goals in 198 games.
Although United maintained success without him - thanks to Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov - Forlan's later exploits highlight one of the few rare mistakes in Ferguson-era transfer dealings.