Louis Saha has revealed he was desperate to sign for Manchester United after an unusual transfer tactic from Sir Alex Ferguson
The former striker joined the Red Devils from Fulham in a £12.4million deal in January 2004, and went on to spend four-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, scoring 42 goals in 124 games.
Before making the move to the north west, Saha faced United six times, and he certainly made his mark during these encounters.
In fact, one particular performance was so impressive that it prompted legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson to ask his players if they would recommend a move for the Frenchman.
This came after a 2001 FA Cup clash with the Cottagers, which saw the Red Devils run out 2-1 winners, but it was Saha who left Fergie amazed after putting up a fight with his defence.
According to former United captain Gary Neville, this display led the Scot to break his own transfer rule.
Speaking on Sky Sports in 2020, Neville said: “Sir Alex never asked us which players we should sign or never asked us information about players he was going to sign.
“But after we played Fulham one time in the FA Cup, he actually asked us as defenders, would we sign Louis Saha?
“We all said: ‘Yes’ straight away.”
Ferguson would ultimately take his players’ advice, finally securing Saha’s services three years later after United’s initial attempts to sign him in the summer of 2003 were rebuffed.
And the ex-France international has now responded after learning of the huge vote of confidence from his old teammates.
Appearing on talkSPORT’s ‘The LineUp‘, Saha was read out Neville’s comments, to which he responded: “It’s great [to hear].
GettyThe Frenchman joined United in the same season as football icon Cristiano Ronaldo[/caption]
Reflecting on his standout performance for Fulham against United, Saha said: “I had really good games, and basically facing those defenders was a privilege.
“And that’s really good to hear that Gary Neville had a hard time and suggested my name.”
The former Everton centre-forward then opened up on how the move came about on his side, as he revealed he jumped at the chance to head to Old Trafford after learning of the club’s interest.
He continued: “The Scottish guy [former Fulham player] John Collins was there and started to tell me: ‘Oh I heard there is interest’.
“And Mikael Silvestre as well came about and said: ‘Hey, we’re waiting for you’. So all those rumours come about and you have to focus on your job, so I really wanted to improve. I was very focused about that.
“But when you receive the call from Sir Alex Ferguson himself saying: ‘I really like your style and I want you to think about this move’.
Credit: talkSPORTSaha smiled as he recalled being contacted by Sir Alex Ferguson[/caption]
“And basically I say: ‘Listen I’m taking the train, the bike, whatever it is to go there!’ “
Saha’s time with United would prove a fruitful period in his career, as he won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2007 and 2008.
He also helped the Red Devils to League Cup glory in 2006, scoring in their final victory over Wigan, as well as being part of an historic second Champions League triumph in 2008.
The striker left on a high after European glory, joining Everton in the following summer, where established himself as a focal point up front for the Toffees, scoring 35 goals in 115 appearances.
He then enjoyed brief spells at Tottenham and Sunderland, before hanging up his boots with Serie A side Lazio in 2013.
