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QPR striker Les Ferdinand was one of the hottest properties in English football in 1994 and champions Manchester United were circling for his signature.
“It was not a rumour,” Ferdinand reveals on Kammy & Ben’s Proper Football Podcast. “Ray Wilkins called me and said Sir Alex Ferguson was going to put in an offer.
“He said I had done everything at QPR and that no one would begrudge me going there. His last words to me were ‘when the best team in the land come calling, you have got to go’.”
Ferdinand was set on a move to Old Trafford and told his chairman the following day after United made their approach. Unfortunately, it did not quite work out as he expected.
“The chairman rang me back after he had spoken to Gerry [Francis, QPR boss]. He said ‘Gerry’s resigned, I hope you can understand that losing my manager and star centre-forward in the same week is virtually impossible.’”
The England striker remained at Loftus Road but kept a watching brief to see when he would get the opportunity to move north. It was another call from the chairman that sealed his fate.
“He rings me back 10 days later and says ‘I might have solved your problem’,” recalls Ferdinand. “He was bringing in Ray Wilkins as player-manager!
“The only condition? That I was not sold! The first thing Ray did was call me into his office and say to me ‘I’ve taught you the most important lesson in life - always look after number one first’.”
Why was Ferdinand’s favourite Premier League game against Manchester United And how did United pip Newcastle to the title in 1995-96?
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
