Iconic Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson broke his own set of transfer rules to complete a deal for former Fulham star Louis Saha.
The former France striker is a very popular figure for both clubs ahead of their meeting in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend. He had scored 63 goals in 142 appearances for the Whites between 2000 and 2004 following his arrival from Metz.
With the Red Devils needing some more inspiration in the race for the Premier League title, Ferguson turned to the transfer market. He was tempted by a move for Saha but sought advice from some of his own players including legendary right-back Gary Neville - something that he had never done before.
"Sir Alex never asked us which players we should sign or never asked us information about players he was going to sign," Neville confirmed to Sky Sports. "But after we played Fulham one time in the FA Cup (in 2001), 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. Louis was a brilliant, brilliant player.
“He gave me absolute nightmares when I used to play against him when he played for Fulham - him and Luis Boa Morte."
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In the end, the Red Devils sealed a deal for Saha on 23 January 2004 for a fee of £12.4m - the striker putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half year contract. He enjoyed an immediate impact at Old Trafford by scoring seven goals in his opening 12 league appearances.
He played a role as United won the FA Cup but they struggled elsewhere by finishing third in the Premier League, whilst they were knocked out of the Champions League by Jose Mourinho ’s Porto.
Saha ended up making 124 appearances for Man United throughout his spell with the club, scoring 42 goals. His time as a Red Devil was hugely interrupted through injury though as he never made more than 24 Premier League appearances in a single campaign, something that he admitted he was ashamed of.
"It was a mental torture," he told the Manchester Evening News. "There was guilt and embarrassment. You are kind of ashamed about the situation.
“You start wondering what other players are saying about you. Instead of just accepting it as bad luck and getting on with the treatment and looking forward, I was looking back too much.
"I was always thinking I had done something to bring it on. I analysed everything so closely. But that was wrong, it just got me very down."
He was eventually sold to Everton in 2008 before going on to represent Tottenham and Sunderland, before rounding off his career with Italian giants Lazio.
