- Manchester United lost 4-0 to MK Dons in the Capital One Cup last year
- Dele Alli, then 18, outshone the United midfield but is now at Tottenham
- Harry Redknapp couldn’t understand why Alli’s performance did not have more resonance at Old Trafford
- Sir Alex Ferguson signed Cristiano Ronaldo after his exploits against United
- Alli joined Tottenham for £5m but that was a battle United could have won
By
Martin Samuel – Sport for the Daily Mail
Published:
22:30 GMT, 29 December 2015
|
Updated:
01:19 GMT, 30 December 2015
Harry Redknapp made an excellent point this week: how the hell is Dele Alli not at Manchester United?
Think about it. On August 26, 2014, United travelled to Milton Keynes Dons to play a Capital One Cup tie. Louis van Gaal fielded an understrength team but, even so, the result was shocking: MK Dons 4 Manchester United 0.
It was the day United confirmed the £60million signing of Angel di Maria, but on the night their midfield was outshone by an 18-year-old Alli.

Dele Alli, then 18, outshone the Manchester United midfield as MK Dons ran out 4-0 winners in August 2014

United should have been battling Tottenham for the midfielder – instead Spurs snapped him up for £5m
Redknapp said he could not understand why Alli’s performance did not have more resonance at Old Trafford. ‘You would think someone might have said, “They murdered us — who was he?”,’ he mused.
A similar conversation brought Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United in 2003. After he took United to the cleaners in a friendly, Sir Alex Ferguson made sure he was soon at Old Trafford.
What has changed at United that they are no longer alert to opportunity? They have always been in the market for the marquee names, but Ferguson also knew a bargain. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Denis Irwin, Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona — not every signing was a splash.
Alli joined Tottenham in the next transfer window for £5m — the club had been tracking him for some time — but that was a battle United could have won had they trusted the evidence before their eyes. They knew how good Alli was, they saw how good he was. Yet still nothing happened. Why?


Cristiano Ronaldo dazzled Man United at Sporting Lisbon (left) and went on to shine for the Red Devils

Louis van Gaal watches on after United’s 4-0 defeat at Stadium:mk in the Capital One Cup second round
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