MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER Alex Ferguson says he regrets not signing England goalkeeper Joe Hart for a pittance when he had the chance.
The 24-year-old made the move to Manchester City from Shrewsbury Town back in 2006 but in an interview with BBC 5 Live , Ferguson claimed that Hart could easily have been playing for the red side of Manchester.
United have struggled to deal with the retirement of Edwin van der Sar last season as David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard have both been at fault during their time between the sticks.
Ferguson, who backed Hart to remain his country’s No1 for a decade, told said: “I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000 (€120,000) so we all make mistakes.
I’ve no doubt (that Hart will be England goalkeeper for the next 10 years). If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he’s easily the best.”
Meanwhile, the 70-year-old says he would like stay on in an ambassadorial role when he finally steps down as first-team manager at Old Trafford.
The Scot took the reigns at United in November 1986 and has had unprecedented success during his spell as the longest-serving current manager in English football.
“I will remain active. I think there will be a role for me at United after I finish,” he added.
