REVEALED: A desperate Louis van Gaal tried to buy Watford striker for £35m in January

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Last season may seem like ancient history now, but before Jose Mourinho waltzed into Old Trafford and brought with him the machiavellian influence of superagents Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola, the Axis of Feeble that is Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward were running the show. The football was turgid, the attack impotent and the inclination to relieve a clueless Van Gaal of his duties non-existent. The Dutchman was under intense pressure from both the media and fans, and the cracks were beginning to show. But only now has it transpired just how desperate things were. With hopes of a Champions League finish slipping away and Van Gaal's job at risk, it appears that the manager was ready to spunk £35m on Watford's 27-year-old Odion Ighalo to add some fresh blood to his failing attack. So reports Duncan Castles of the Sunday Times. https://twitter.com/DuncanCastles/status/752020627494699008 Remember this was before academy product Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene and started scoring for fun. It could have been so different had United not failed in their bid to bring Watford's Nigerian forward to the club. Ighalo may well be a talent in his own right, but most would argue he's hardly top drawer. And as for the £35m valuation? It makes £100m for Paul Pogba seem like a bargain in comparison... https://twitter.com/OnlyOneZIatan/status/752123502581452800 https://twitter.com/TalhaSid90/status/752133743704416256 https://twitter.com/_DerekWest/status/752145655649492992 https://twitter.com/MUFCPhilosophy/status/752144053987373056 https://twitter.com/UnSeulMo/status/752135349044928512