Former Man United assistant manager Mike Phelan has suggested that a big name player would have arrived at the club in the summer if Alex Ferguson was still in charge.

Marouane Fellaini was the only arrival under David Moyes this summer. But Phelan hinted that a genuine star could have been signed.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Fabio Capello both claimed that the Reds had bid €100 million for the Wales international.

Phelan did not explicitly name Bale but he could also have been speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo, who was described as the most gifted player that Ferguson ever had at his disposal in his autobiography.

Phelan, who was let go by Moyes, insisted that there is money there.

"I won't name the player, but if Sir Alex and David Gill had still been the bosses, there would have been a star signing - one of the absolute best players in the world. I think it’s clear to everybody who I’m talking about," he said.