"I can't stand them" - Manchester United's main transfer target snubbed them twice in five years

For a Manchester United fan, the response to Alan Shearer's tweet was absolutely delicious. A quote from famous TV gameshow Bullseye saying "look at what you would have won", next to an image of Sir Alex Ferguson proudly parading the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies.

There's little wonder it's still a raw subject for Shearer, who still gets asked about it to this day.

“NEVER! I couldn’t stand them then and I can’t stand them now!!!” That was his tweet on the subject of regrets in his career, and whether snubbing United (twice) still rankled.

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His first opportunity to make the Old Trafford move came in 1992, with Shearer choosing Blackburn and United choosing Eric Cantona. The latter would swiftly help United win successive league titles and the FA Cup.

But it was 1996, when football (nearly) came home, that Ferguson would make his biggest play for the striker everybody wanted. Think Harry Kane or even Erling Haaland now, Shearer was of that ilk. He would have taken Fergie's United to the next level.

"I'd actually done a deal as far as Alan Shearer's contract was concerned, we'd come to a settlement," said former United chairman Martin Edwards. "Shearer had been to Ferguson's house, spoke to him and assured him he wanted to come. The problem, I think, was with the chairman of Blackburn, Jack Walker, who was not a great fan of Manchester United, local rivals, both Lancashire clubs.

"He did not want Alan Shearer to come to Manchester United. Shearer was quite close to Walker, who was like a father figure to him, and I don't think Alan wanted to upset him by coming to United. And I'm not sure Jack would have let him come anyway,