Gothenburg Great Alex McLeish has revealed Aberdeen rejected a £1.75million bid by Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him for Manchester United.
Sir Alex left for the English giants in 1986 after leading Aberdeen to European and domestic glory.
Pittodrie great McLeish says Sir Alex made four bids to bring him to Old Trafford with a final offer that would have smashed the Dons’ transfer record.
However, the Dons’ board held firm to hold onto the Scotland international centre-back who was at the heart of one of Europe’s top defensive partnerships with Willie Miller.
When the bid for McLeish hit a brick wall Ferguson would go on to sign Gary Pallister in a £2.3m transfer from Middlesbrough in August 1989.
It was a British record fee for a defender and the highest sum paid for a player moving between two English clubs.
Pallister went on to win four Premier League titles at Manchester United under Sir Alex as well as three FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Scotland legend McLeish remained at Pittodrie and won the Scottish Cup and League Cup double in the 1989-90 season.
McLeish said: “Sir Alex had an ongoing conversation with Aberdeen but I think there was an agreement he wouldn’t come back for Willie (Miller) or I.
“However, I wasn’t part of that agreement.
“I only found out about it when Sir Alex told me.
“Apparently there was a mix up with Joe Miller as Sir Alex was keen on getting him.
“He wanted to know about his movement but the Dons got a good offer from Celtic and went straight on and did that deal.
“Sir Alex phoned me and said the gloves are off.
“I think there were three or four offers but he had to stop at one point when the Dons kept saying no.
“They went up to £1.75m, which at my age and in that era, was a good offer.
“Aberdeen said no.”
Manchester United’s big money deal
Legend McLeish would go on to play for Aberdeen until 1994, racking up almost 700 appearances.
During his time at Pittodrie McLeish won 12 trophies – three league titles, five Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
He also won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and European Super Cup in 1983.
McLeish said: “A few weeks after Sir Alex signed a player that was seven years younger than me for a couple of million, Gary Pallister.
“Pallister went on to become one of Sir Alex’s best signings.
“Sir Alex didn’t make many mistakes with his signings across his whole career.
“I was a one club man with Aberdeen and have tremendous affection and memories from my time there.
“We are still the last team to beat Real Madrid in a European final which is an incredible thing.
“That Aberdeen team was great and we won European trophies, league titles, cups and bust the Old Firm dominance.”
McLeish’s final trophy at Aberdeen was the Scottish Cup in 1990, to follow up the League Cup secured earlier that campaign.
The 66-year-old will be back in the Granite City with fellow players from that 1990 side to reminisce about that historic triumph.
Holding nerve in a penalty shoot-out
McLeish will be joined at Aberdeen Music Hall on Thursday, May 22 by Theo Snelders, Hans Gilhaus, Charlie Nicholas and Brian Irvine from the double winning team.
Aberdeen won 9-8 on penalties against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final after a 0-0 draw with Irvine scoring the dramatic winner.
McLeish said: “There had been five penalties taken by each side and it was 4-4 when I had to take mine.
“Jocky (Scott) and Alex (Smith, co managers) were looking for volunteers as it was not ordained before the game who would take them if it went to penalties.
“Jocky shouted ‘right who’s taking the sixth one?’
“I put my hand up.
“And Jocky said ‘aye, but are you confident you’re going to score?
“I thought ‘thanks a lot Jocky!’
“Every time I hit a penalty I always tried to go to the goalie’s left with my right foot.
“That meant it was always moving away from him and if I was accurate it goes into the bottom corner no matter the goalie’s stretch.
“I did the walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot and I kid you not my ears went into a kind of meltdown.
“I could hear this noise in my ears, and it was almost like tinnitus.
“And I felt that I was looking at cardboard cut-outs in the crowd.
“That walk was like I was in a dream.
“I kept my composure and kept saying to myself ‘goalie’s left, hit it firmly’.
“The plan worked and it was absolute relief.
“It wasn’t like I ran about punching the air as we still had a job to do.
“Then it went to the 10th penalty when Brian (Irvine) scored the winner.”
Lifting a trophy as Aberdeen captain
McLeish lifted the Scottish Cup as captain as skipper Miller was sidelined by a long-term knee injury.
The injury was suffered in a 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw with Norway in November 1989.
Miller returned to the team in March 1990 but suffered a relapse and couldn’t regain fitness quick enough for the Scottish Cup final.
The injury would eventually lead to Miller’s retirement later that year.
McLeish said: “It was a real thrill to lift the cup as captain.
“My dear friend, captain and team-mate Willie had an injury that went way back to an international game when he did his knee.
“Willie hadn’t quite recovered from that.
“I took the captaincy in his absence and wanted to do Willie justice as he is my great mate.
“Willie had an incredible career and dedication to Aberdeen.”
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