**Man Utd cult hero whose name was mentioned ‘in awe’ by teammates**
Sir Alex Ferguson has disclosed the one player he regretted not keeping at Old Trafford during his lengthy tenure at Manchester United.
Since Ferguson stepped down 11 years ago and passed the managerial role to David Moyes, who transitioned from Everton, the club has cycled through eight different managers and gradually fallen from being league favorites to merely European contenders.
Last season, under Erik ten Hag, United recorded their worst finish in the Premier League era, ending up in 8th place, although they secured European football with an FA Cup victory.
Such outcomes would have seemed unimaginable during Ferguson’s era, when he attracted top talents over four decades. Among the many stars who left were Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roy Keane, and Eric Cantona, but the exit that pained Ferguson the most was that of Henrik Larsson. Larsson joined on a brief loan in 2007, making only seven Premier League appearances and scoring once.
“I have always admired him,” Ferguson remarked upon Larsson’s arrival in 2007. “I tried to sign him while he was at Celtic, but they convinced him to stay. He is an outstanding player.”
Though Larsson didn’t have a significant impact on the pitch, Ferguson expressed his disappointment at not being able to keep him, praising the Swedish international’s professionalism and attitude.
“He was fantastic for us; everything about him was excellent,” Ferguson noted. “We would have loved him to stay, but he had commitments to his family and Helsingborg, which we must respect. I would have done anything to retain him.”
Ferguson also revealed that Larsson had made a strong impression on his teammates. “When he arrived, our players regarded him as a bit of a cult figure. They mentioned his name with reverence,” he wrote in his second autobiography. “At 35, his eagerness to absorb coaching information was remarkable. He was fully engaged in every session and eager to learn from Carlos (Queiroz) about our tactics.”
