Sir Alex Ferguson has a fine record for signing players who have turned out to be world class, take Cristiano Ronaldo for example. However, the Scot did have his fair share of hiccups in the transfer market during his 26 years at Manchester United.

Recently, Sir Alex admitted he chose not to try and sign David Silva as he didn’t think he would fit in with the club’s style of play. Silva, a Manchester City player, has set the Premier League alight since he signed from Valencia. But Ferguson says he had very little luck when it came to fitting No 10’s into his system – preferring flying wingers.

The former United boss claims he watched Silva when he was playing in the No 10 role at Valencia, but was unsure about employing a midfield player with ‘no defensive responsibilities’.

“We watched Silva a lot when he was at Valencia.” Ferguson told Sirius XM. “And the other player they had, the same type, years before it, played in that No 10 role.”

“My problem with that was you have to be very, very good to play in that position, because there’s no defensive duties for them.”

“So if you’re wanting to be really successful, everyone has to do their turn, has to work, you know?”

“I had a difficulty with that (the No 10 role). But, in the end, of course, there’s the greats. You could say Lionel Messi was a No 10 type, [Diego] Maradona, some fantastic players, and I don’t dispute that.”

“But at United we always found it difficult. The kind of No 10 I used came from my experience as a footballer.”

[Quotes via the Daily Mail]

During his time at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson signed various No 10’s, all of which failed to make their mark at the club. Shinji Kagawa and Anderson are great examples of players who failed to live up to their expectations due to being played out of position.

It doesn’t end there, Fergie also revealed that he could have signed striker Sergio Aguero before he moved to Manchester City, however he was not willing to pay the £35million price tag.