Sir Alex Ferguson made an attempt to sign Luka Modric for Manchester United before his left Tottenham for Real Madrid, it has been revealed.

Modric was still at Spurs when Ferguson made his move after United were beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final in 2011.

Jamie Redknapp has revealed Ferguson contacted his father Harry, who was Spurs boss at the time, just a day after the Wembley defeat.

"Xavi and Iniesta had raised the bar for midfielders. The best had to be players who could take the ball off either foot, dribble and pass through the lines," he writes in the Daily Mail.

"Having seen just how impressive those two were against United, Sir Alex identified Modric as the player to take his team forward."