Sir Alex Ferguson was a confirmed admirer of the legendary marksman, who had plundered goals with regular abandon in the traditionally defensive-minded Serie A.
'Batigol' was one of those players who was regularly linked with a move to Old Trafford in the transfer gossip columns but a deal never materialised.
If it was ever going to happen, then maybe 1996 was the year. United missed out on landing Alan Shearer for a British record fee, with the Blackburn Rovers hitman deciding to head back to his roots with Newcastle United. As the terrace song pointed out, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turned out to be an extraordinary alternative, at a fraction of the price, and achieved legendary status at M16.