I HAD only just familiarised myself with the best bars of this fair city when Manchester City inflicted on the football world one of their most memorable shocks, writes Tony Lanigan.

No, they didn't win a trophy. They emptied the Maine Road coffers to buy a journeyman midfield player from Wolves named Steve Daley.

The capture was unremarkable - it was the fee that was stunning.

At a time when Roman Abramovich was making his first roubles in the school playground selling vodka miniatures to prefects, £1.5m was one hell of a lot of money. Particularly as the player had been on offer at £400,000 a few months earlier in May 1979.

The outlay, similar to the amount United paid for the peerless Bryan Robson, proved a complete waste of money and had Blues' fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

One would have hoped that this embarrassing faux pas might have called a halt to transfer folly, especially from those more wiser and richer neighbours at Old Trafford. But a generation later we found them forking out £28.5m for an Argentine show pony called Juan Sebastien Veron, who was as well equipped for the physical frenzy of the Premiership as John Prescott is for the Royal Ballet.

United were fortunate to recoup half of that fee to unload the gifted but surely a lesson had been learned.

Maybe not. The Red Knight recently opted to invest £18.5m. in Michael Carrick, who less than two years earlier had changed hands in London for a fifth of that price - and for many of us the jury is still out.

Sure he makes a decent pass, but then he takes a relaxing walk and if Roy Keane was still around Carrick's backside would be smarting.

And now this week, incredibly the player United want to play alongside, in front of, or maybe instead of Carrick, has finally been dangled in front of them with a £25m. price tag.

The 'final piece of the Championship jig-saw' is Owen Hargreaves of Bayern Munich. Yes, that same Canadian-born midfielder, who was ridiculed during his countless appearances as a substitute during the Sven dynasty - even as recently as the World Cup opener against Paraguay.

To be fair to Har- greaves, he proceeded to show he really can play, but perceived clown to crown prince in four Cup matches hardly warrants an outlay that will have the Glazers choking on their blueberry pie.

No deal is likely until the summer and by then sanity might prevail. Hopefully the Reds will be clutching the Premier League trophy inspired by Michael Carrick.

But I won't be ringing BetFred just yet.

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