It’s not like Sir Alex Ferguson to admit defeat so easily. So his confession that Manchester United missed out on their one and only transfer target of the January window has got everyone second guessing the Scot. Then again, I don’t suppose he did really admit defeat, did he? Ferguson has stated that the player is someone who the club will be ‘revisiting in the summer’ so he must be pretty confident United will land their man before long. But who could it have been?

United are losing Edwin van der Sar to retirement, but signed Anders Lindegaard, Gary Neville has also decided to call it a day, but Rafael has filled that void. So maybe a replacement for Paul Scholes? Or what about Ryan Giggs? He can’t go on forever, even if he has decided to do another season. Here are five potential players Fergie has been pursuing:

Gareth Bale - The most obvious choice as the Welshman seems a prefect replacement for the outbound Ryan Giggs. Ferguson isn’t scared to splash the cash if the player warrants it, and Bale is likely to cost in excess of £30 million. But Ferguson’s apparent optimism of landing his man come the summer would suggest a deal may already be in place, but I can’t see that being the case with Tottenham’s star man.

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Charlie Adam - It sounds ridiculous to link a Blackpool player with a multi-million pound move to Manchester United, but after Ferguson’s side managed to scrape 3 points at Bloomfield Road in January, Ferguson was very complimentary of the Scottish midfielder. When questioned about the potential signing, Ferguson has refused to rule it out.

Pepe Reina - It would go down as one of the most controversial transfers in recent times, but the Liverpool goalkeeper has expressed his unhappiness at life at the Merseyside club. Even though United looked to have recruited for the future with Lindegaard, Man United need an experienced shot-stopper and the Spaniard could be just what they’re looking for.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - There has been a lot of hype surrounding Southampton’s latest prodigy. The media were eagerly awaiting a huge bid from either United, Arsenal or Liverpool but nothing came. Because of his age, Fergie would rather the 17-year-old stayed at St Mary's and continued his football apprenticeship, so claiming he is going to ‘revisit it in the summer’ could be an indication that he is ready to make Chamberlain the next Old Trafford recruit when the time is right.

Connor Wickham - The 17-year-old is another talent that you could see Sir Alex making enquiries about. The striker is remarkably robust for his age and can finish - he notched a hat-trick this week at Doncaster. The Ipswich man is another tipped for the big time, and Ferguson wouldn’t want to miss out.

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