Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has admitted he wished he had signed Carlos Tevez 12 months ago.
Tevez finally completed his protracted transfer to United on Friday afternoon, a year after Ferguson was first alerted to his availability.
At the time, United shied away from doing a deal as there were too many uncertainties over the way it would be structured.
Subsequent events proved the stance to be wholly sensible. However, as he watched Tevez inspire West Ham United's late-season survival surge, just as his own side were struggling to sustain a Treble challenge with an injury-ravaged squad, Ferguson could not help thinking what might have been.
'In his year at West Ham, Tevez proved himself to be an absolutely top player,' reflected Ferguson.
'Every time I saw him playing for West Ham last year, I thought to myself, I just wish we had done it last year. But there were too many complications at the time.'
Instead, Ferguson made Tevez one of four summer signings, splashing out £50million on Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson within weeks of United clinching their ninth Premier League title.
His rapid recruiting mission meant Ferguson could enjoy a worry-free summer holiday for once, convinced he had got the right men at the right time.
He said: 'I think the four signings will be good ones. We knew Hargreaves was going to happen for a long time. We hoped it would be last June, then January but we finally got it done in May. Nani and Anderson were quick decisions.
'We saw an opening regarding their contracts and weren't prepared to wait. Anderson broke his leg last year but if we had let him start the season after his broken leg, everyone would have been after him.'
