Sir Alex: Berbatov's Well Worth It

Fans were on tenterhooks on transfer deadline day waiting to see if Dimitar Berbatov would sign for United. But for Sir Alex Ferguson the wait had been even longer, admitting that he came close to signing the player in 2006.

Tottenham had already made their bid for the striker and United's last-minute intervention was too late to secure the Bulgarian's services from Bayer Leverkusen.

Berbatov went to White Hart Lane for a reported £10.9million fee. United have paid significantly more than that for a player who has shone in the intervening two years. But Sir Alex believes the fee is money well spent.

"We tried to get him when he was at Leverkusen, but we only had a few days to get it done," the boss told MUTV in an exclusive interview.

"Tottenham had already made a bid. Unfortunately, we hadn't moved at the right time two years ago. Now we've managed to get him. It's cost us a bit more money, but he's worth it."