{"id":47727,"date":"2026-05-26T15:31:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T19:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/sir-alex-ferguson-names-one-english-player-he-would-have-liked-to-sign-for-man-united\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:31:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T19:31:43","slug":"sir-alex-ferguson-names-one-english-player-he-would-have-liked-to-sign-for-man-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/sir-alex-ferguson-names-one-english-player-he-would-have-liked-to-sign-for-man-united\/","title":{"rendered":"Sir Alex Ferguson names one English player he would have liked to sign for Man United"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/sir-alex-ferguson-names-one-english-player-he-would-have-liked-to-sign-for-man-united\/#Sir_Alex_Ferguson_regrets_not_signing_Frank_Lampard\" >Sir Alex Ferguson regrets not signing Frank Lampard<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/sir-alex-ferguson-names-one-english-player-he-would-have-liked-to-sign-for-man-united\/#Ranking_of_the_20_best_midfielders_in_Premier_League_history\" >Ranking of the 20 best midfielders in Premier League history<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>West Ham United have a history full of pride and pain. The Hammers have produced many of England&#8217;s most talented footballers over the decades.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>In the 1960s, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters formed the backbone of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup at Wembley.<\/p>\n<p>This is one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of the British game.<\/p>\n<p>For 16 years, Trevor Brooking graced the midfield with a grace that belied his era. Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole came out of the academy to become two of the best players of their generation.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently, Declan Rice developed through the Irons&#8217; academy after joining from Chelsea and is now a Premier League champion, becoming one of the most complete midfielders in world football before Arsenal paid more than \u00a3100m to bring him to north London.<\/p>\n<p>Time and time again, West Ham have found talent, nurtured it and watched it go.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps no player in the Premier League has reached the personal heights of Frank Lampard, the division&#8217;s seventh-highest scorer of all time.<\/p>\n<p>This is the most of any midfielder, which is why Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign him before leaving East London.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sir-alex-ferguson-regrets-not-signing-frank-lampard\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sir_Alex_Ferguson_regrets_not_signing_Frank_Lampard\"><\/span>\n<p>                        Sir Alex Ferguson regrets not signing Frank Lampard<br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>    Before the 2013 match between Manchester United and Chelsea, manager Ferguson praised Lampard for scoring over 200 goals in all competitions for Chelsea.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-pullquote\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom pullquote\" id=\"custom_block_13\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;Lampard is amazing, unbelievable. I don&#8217;t think any midfielder will ever reach 200 goals again. It&#8217;s phenomenal. We watched him at West Ham when he was young and I think now you regret not achieving it. Where else could you reach 200 goals?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Ferguson likened Lampard&#8217;s ability to reach into the box and end chances to United&#8217;s legendary midfielder Bryan Robson, and the numbers alone bear that out.<\/p>\n<p>His goalscoring record from midfield may never be broken. He won three league titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>He became Chelsea&#8217;s all-time top scorer with 211 goals, surpassing the previous record since 1971. He scored double-digit goals in 10 consecutive seasons in the Premier League, an almost incomprehensible feat for a central midfielder.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\" scope=\"col\">\n<p>Best midfielder in Premier League history, ranked by AI<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>rank<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><strong>player<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><strong>clubs played<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>Steven Gerrard<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>liverpool<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>2<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>frank lampard<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>west ham, chelsea, man city<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>3<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>kevin de bruyne<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>chelsea, man city<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>roy keene<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>manchester united nottingham forest<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>ryan giggs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>manchester united<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>6<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>Patrick Vieira<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>arsenal, man city<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>7<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>Paul Scholes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>manchester united<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>8<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>Bruno Fernandes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>manchester united<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>9<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>david silva<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>man city<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p>10<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<td>\n<p>yaya toure<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>man city<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>John Terry, who played alongside some of the greatest players to ever wear a Chelsea shirt, declared: &#8220;You&#8217;re talking about Zoras and the best players to have played for the club, but for me he&#8217;s the best.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Ferguson never laid a hand on him. West Ham held on and in the end Chelsea took a gamble and the rest was history.<\/p>\n<p>But the fact that the greatest manager of all time still looks back on Lampard as the man who got away says everything about the kind of player he was, who remains one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"football-best-midfielders-in-premier-league-history\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                        <\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ranking_of_the_20_best_midfielders_in_Premier_League_history\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tRanking of the 20 best midfielders in Premier League history<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Where does Man City icon Kevin De Bruyne rank?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>West Ham United have a history full of pride and pain. The Hammers have produced many of England&#8217;s most talented footballers over the decades. In the 1960s, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters formed the backbone of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup at Wembley. This is one of the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[345,2625,439,40,304,3491,575,43,438,107],"class_list":["post-47727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-alex","tag-english","tag-ferguson","tag-football","tag-man","tag-names","tag-player","tag-sign","tag-sir","tag-united"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}