“He gave me absolute nightmares” - Gary Neville names only player Alex Ferguson broke his transfer rule for at Manchester United

Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville has revealed that the club's legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson broke his transfer rule for one player, striker Louis Saha.

Ferguson never consulted his players to sign new personnel, but broke it one occasion - following an FA Cup game at Fulham in 2001 after watching Saha in action.

Saha and his namesake Boa Morle tormented Ferguson's Red Devils so much so that the Scot asked his defenders - Neville and Co. - whether the Frenchman would be a good fit at the club. Neville recalled on Sky Sports:

"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.' I remember the season where he was playing up front with Wazza (Wayne Rooney) in 2006 and it was unbelievable; they were fantastic together."

Saha would excel against United the next season before landing at Old Trafford in the summer of 2003.

"Louis was a brilliant, brilliant player," continued Neville. "He gave me absolute nightmares when I used to play against him when he played for Fulham - him and Luis Boa Morte."

Louis Saha bagged 42 goals and 17 assists in 124 games across competitions, including two Premier League and one UEFA Champions League title.

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Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek leaves on loan

Donny van de Beek

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has joined Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the rest of the season.

Since arriving from Ajax in the summer of 2020, the 26-year-old never became a first-team regular at Manchester United. He managed just two goals in 62 appearances across competitions, and his situation didn't improve even after Erik ten Hag arrived in 2022.

Ahead of the European Championships in Germany this summer, Van de Beek will hope to have regular game time at Frankfurt, who are sixth in the Bundesliga. They play their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff with Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium next month.