SOCCER:ALEX FERGUSON never usually worries too much about the ones who get away but Manchester United's manager made an exception yesterday when talking about Gareth Bale, admitting he had missed out on the player he rates as Tottenham Hotspur's most outstanding footballer.

Bale fits alongside Paul Gascoigne and John Barnes among the players who Ferguson tried, and failed, to sign before they went on to play brilliantly elsewhere. Ferguson spoke of making “a good offer” to Southampton four years ago but refused to match Tottenham’s bid of €6 million rising to €11 million depending on the player’s success.

“We tried to sign him as a 17-year-old,” Ferguson reflected as he prepared to take his side to White Hart Lane tomorrow. “But it never got to the stage of talking to the player. They didn’t accept our offer and I think they must have alerted Tottenham.”

Five years on, Bale has established himself as one of the more formidable players in the league, leading Manchester City’s manager Roberto Mancini to say this week Spurs would lose “50 per cent of their potential” if they sold the left-sided player.

Ferguson had identified Bale as a promising left-back but could be forgiven for wondering whether he lost out on a player who could have been the long-term replacement for Ryan Giggs on the left side of United’s attack.

“He came as a left-back back then but (Spurs manager) Harry Redknapp has found a position for him using the player’s talents, his tremendous speed and the fact he is a great crosser of the ball. (Rafael) van der Vaart has made a good contribution goals-wise, he has good ability on the ball. But the best contribution has been Bale, who has scored 11 goals, which is a really good return for a wide player.”

Ferguson can be encouraged by Rafael da Silva’s performance against Bale when the sides met at Old Trafford in October, and the United manager believes the Brazilian is showing growing maturity. “The thing about Rafael is that he’s not making any rash decisions. He was quite an impulsive young boy last season,” he said. “In the away game against Milan, he overran the ball in the middle of the pitch and they got their second goal from it. In the second leg against Bayern Munich he had a slight tug on their player and was sent off.

“But we invest in the future at this club and we are getting that return now. His form has been absolutely brilliant.”

There was a time when Redknapp might have exhaled deeply ahead of a meeting with United and put forward one of his favourite phrases: “It’s difficult”. The manager would regularly point to the depths of quality within opposition ranks and attempt to paint his team as the plucky underdog.

Not any longer, not at Tottenham Hotspur, the club he has taken to the knock-out stages of the Champions League and which he genuinely feels can challenge for the Premier League title, in this most open of seasons. Redknapp was happy to agree his team needed to beat United if they were to win the league and he was not shy of suggesting that Ferguson did not have an all-conquering team, despite them having lost only once this season, to West Ham United in the League Cup.

Redknapp said he could not see United emulating Arsenal and going undefeated through the campaign.

“We have players Alex would love at Old Trafford,” he said. “You look at us now and suddenly you see lots of good players that can play in any team. I don’t think that we fear anybody.”

The statistics are against Redknapp. United are 26 games unbeaten in the league, stretching back to April last year. Never mind United’s run, Tottenham have not beaten them in 23 matches in all competitions since the 3-1 league win in 2001 – Willem Korsten scored twice – while Redknapp’s Premier League record against them makes for gloomy reading: played 29, won three, drew seven, lost 19.

Redknapp will play Van der Vaart in the hole behind Jermain Defoe, ask Bale and Aaron Lennon to provide the cut and thrust on the flanks and Modric to pull the strings in the centre. Bale apart, these are pint-sized players but Redknapp believes their pace and incisive styles can trouble United. He wants the ball to be zipped about on the ground, where Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic may be vulnerable.

David Beckham will provide the sideshow tomorrow. The midfielder, who made his name at United, will watch the game from the stands. Redknapp said Beckham’s proposed loan move from LA Galaxy would not happen if the American club insisted on him returning to them on February 10th.