Former Manchester United scout Tony Collins has revealed how the club passed on a teenage Alan Shearer.
Collins was chief scout at United under Ron Atkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson.
He revealed to The Sun: “Another one who jumped out at me was on a wet, miserable night at Rochdale. This young striker for Southampton reserves, Alan Shearer, looked really special.
“He was the best I'd seen since Tommy Lawton. I recommended him to United — but nothing came of it."
Tony has just released his new book: 'TONY COLLINS: FOOTBALL MASTER SPY. Published by bookguild'.