In hindsight, David Moyes was on a hiding to nothing when he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, but he didn’t make it easy on himself sometimes.
It was clear that he still had the Everton mentality of trying to grind out a point rather than win, while he also inherited an ageing squad that needed an overhaul.
He didn’t really manage to attract any star names and seemed obsessed with the prospect of bringing Leighton Baines to Old Trafford, but eventually he had to settle for Marouane Fellaini.
READ MORE: Man United consider £70m transfer after recent scouting mission
A recent report from The Mirror looked at some players that Moyes tried and failed to sign for United, and it does make you wonder if history would’ve been different.
He lists Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas as the main three he wanted to get, but admits they just couldn’t get the transfers over the line.
They really struggled to replace Paul Scholes and the midfield was a weakness for a long time with nobody to control things, so Kroos and Fabregas would’ve been ideal.
Going forward Wayne Rooney was starting to lose his legs and injuries were catching up with Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck, so someone like Bale could’ve made a massive difference to a poor side.
Who knows if they would’ve been good enough to keep Moyes in his job for a bit longer, but it seems highly likely.