“I’ll go and fetch him…” – Sir Alex Ferguson’s crazy transfer demand for former Man Utd player recalled

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has recalled the time that Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to try and persuade Steven Gerrard to join United.

United’s midfield had seen its fair share of failed transfers under Ferguson’s tenure in the early 2000s. Names such as Kleberson, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Eric Djemba Djemba had all arrived to middling returns.

Meanwhile, Gerrard, who was reportedly considering a move away from Liverpool at the time, was excelling at the Merseyside club, something Ferguson had taken note of.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville recalled the time Sir Alex told him to speak to Gerrard about possibly abandoning Liverpool for rivals United.

“Stevie’s told this in his book, where I went into his room for England and asked him to sign for United.

“He [Gerrard] was close to going to Chelsea, and I was meeting up with England for the Euros.

“And he [Ferguson] rang me and said, look it’s ambitious, but his words were, ‘Tell him I’ll go and fetch him, and I’ll walk him back down the East Lancs.'”

Despite Neville’s efforts, he admitted that the Liverpool midfielder very quickly categorically turned down United’s informal advances. Telling Neville that, ‘I wouldn’t get out of Liverpool, and my family would never get out of Liverpool.’

Gerrard would go on to stay at Anfield for the majority of his career, before hanging up his boots at LA Galaxy.

United meanwhile, would make several midfield additions in the following years after the incident. Players such as Ji-Sung Park, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, and Anderson would all arrive within the five years following Ferguson’s attempt to sign Gerrard.

Despite retiring as Manchester United manager in 2013, Ferguson remains a constant figure at Old Trafford. Most recently, the 81-year-old had a private chat with Jim Ratcliffe’s right-hand man, Sir Dave Brailsford, ahead of INEOS’ 25 per cent stake in Manchester United being approved by the Premier League.