It's safe to say that the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has not gone as anyone associated with Manchester United would have hoped.

The club has won just five trophies in the subsequent 13 years - two FA Cups, two Carabao Cups, and a Europa League - and last season finished as low as 15th in the Premier League. 

However, maybe things could have been completely different right from the start.

Indeed, as former Real Madrid and Wales superstar Gareth Bale has admitted, he spoke to United before his move to Los Blancos back in the summer of 2013. 

Speaking on Sky's Stick to Football podcast earlier this week, the 36-year-old said: "I did talk to Manchester United, and they actually bid more money than Real Madrid did (around £86m, a world record fee at the time). I spoke with David Moyes, but I wanted Real Madrid." 

Later on in the interview, he also touched on United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, and the difference in his game some years after he left the club: "He was more of a flair player at United. He started to transition into that goalscorer 2/3 seasons after I arrived. He was so driven, he just wanted to score goals." 

Some interesting comments from Bale there. What a signing that would have been back in 2013. Sure, United have made some big-name, high-profile signings post-Fergie that have not worked out, but the Welshman would have been nearly bona fide. 

He had been performing week in week out in the Premier League - winning the PFA Player of the Year award two times in his final three years in the league. Then you saw the immediate impact he had at Real Madrid. He would have almost certainly worked out at Old Trafford. 

Even well after he had gone to Spain, he would frequently be linked with a move to United, but it never materialised. People often refer to players as "United-coded players who never played for the club", and well, it does feel like Bale does fit that criteria. 

It's ironic that the club neglected the right-wing position for so many years. For such a long time, players were shoehorned out there - whether it be left wingers, number tens, or even other positions. The signing of Bale would have sorted that out for close to a decade. A shame, really.  

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