Sir Alex Ferguson: 'Southampton rejected Gareth Bale bid'

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he had an offer for Gareth Bale turned down by Southampton in 2007.

Ferguson's team will come up against Welsh international Bale when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow afternoon.

However, Ferguson has claimed that Bale could have been wearing the red of United had his bid been successful.

"We tried to buy him from Southampton and they turned us down. It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton. Then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham," said Ferguson.

"It happens. You don't get them all. As I said before, we would have loved to have got Gascoigne but we didn't."

Bales has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Spurs this season.