Manchester United legend Gary Neville has paid the ultimate tribute to a cult hero who Sir Alex Ferguson wished that he had managed at Old Trafford.
Gary Neville played alongside a roster of talented players, both past and present, during his time at Manchester United and on the international stage with England.
The 49-year-old United legend spent his entire playing career under Sir Alex Ferguson and played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona.
During his time with the Three Lions, Neville was able to share the pitch with Premier League legend Alan Shearer and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
Ferguson, who retired as a manager in 2013, has opened up about both the highs and lows during his legendary managerial career in England and Scotland.
Despite managing several world-class players, the 82-year-old Scotsman is the first to admit that he missed out on managing different iconic former footballers.
Ferguson would do everything in his power to bring the best in class to Old Trafford, but the United legend had to settle on some players refusing to come to the club.
Following his career in management, the ex-United boss did not hesitate for a moment in expressing his regret over missing out on managing one former player in particular.
Neville’s tribute to missed Ferguson signing
During a segment on The Overlap, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher asked the audience in attendance to take part in a series of Q&A questions.
Neville took part in the segment alongside the audience, with fellow Sky Sports pundit Carragher reading out the questions.
Carragher asked: “Is [Phil] Foden the most naturally gifted English talent we’ve ever produced?”
Not everyone agreed that Manchester City star Phil Foden was the most naturally talented English player in the sport, with even Neville disagreeing with the question.
“Who do we think it is then?” Carragher asked.
Neville, without any hesitation, responded by saying former England teammate Paul Gascoigne, who was widely admired by United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
“‘Gazza,’” Neville said in response to Carragher.
Speaking on Foden, Neville admitted: “Yeah, he is amazing.”
Ferguson in awe at England cult hero Gascoigne
Ferguson was a fan of Paul Gascoigne and came close to bringing the England cult hero to Old Trafford in 1988, only for the move to be scuppered.
Gascoigne had promised he would sign for United, with Ferguson heading off on holiday and expecting to hear back that the former England star had signed.
However, the 56-year-old left Newcastle in 1988 and instead signed for Tottenham after Spurs agreed to a then-British record transfer fee of £2.2m.
Gascoigne had a prolific career on the international stage with the Three Lions, playing a key role in the Three Lions’ scintillating run at Euro 96 in England.
The former Newcastle star, who struggled with alcohol issues, later admitted that Tottenham had made him a more lucrative offer than what United had tabled.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2015 (via The Independent), Gascoigne said: “At that time, we [Spurs] finished higher.
“When Spurs offered my family a house and they [Man United] wouldn’t match it, I wanted to look after my mum and dad.”
Gascoigne admitted that he would have loved to have worked under Ferguson, who believes United could have helped the England cult hero with his off-field issues.
“I’ll have to have a word with Rio Ferdinand, how did he get out of that trouble he was in, or Ryan Giggs, or Wayne Rooney or Norman Whiteside,” he said at the time.
“I mean, Sir Alex Ferguson, who wouldn’t want to work for him.”