"I said to him: 'you need to go there'" - Diego Forlan left a lasting legacy at Manchester United with transfer advice

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

At first glance Diego Forlan's career at Manchester United is little to write home about - 17 goals in 97 appearances would be seen as impressive for a defender but for a striker it is far from palatable.

Forlan's story at Old Trafford nearly never actually began at all. Having impressed in Argentina with Independiente, the then 22-year-old had caught the eye of Middlesbrough who had scouted the striker intensely ahead of the 2002 January transfer window. ALSO READ: United give Martial injury update Boro were under no illusions though.

They understood from their first conversation with Forlan's representatives that trying to sign South America's next great talent would be a difficult task. "When we first initiated negotiations with Independiente for the player we did realise that there was an awful lot of competition throughout Europe for his services," Steve McClaren, the manager of Middlesbrough at the time and now a key part of Erik ten Hag's backroom staff at United, explained. "Nothing is over until everybody has signed on the dotted line." So it would prove and, in the end, money would fuel Forlan's eventual destination. "The offer was bigger for the club, for Independiente, and for me," an excited Forlan declared after his plane touched down in Manchester. "I was going to go to Middlesbrough, but Manchester offered more." It was a kick in the teeth for the Teesside club but the £6.9m which United splashed out on the Uruguayan was seen as necessary.

Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole had both recently left United for Tottenham and Blackburn respectively. The need for a striker who could ease Ruud van Nistelrooy's load was evident and Forlan seemingly fit the ball.