Dion Dublin had been signed from Cambridge United in the previous summer and started well, scoring the club's first-ever winning goal in the Premier League with a late close-range effort at Southampton.
Only two games later, the Reds faced Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and Dublin suffered a broken leg in a 1-0 victory.
A run of three successive blanks in the league helped convince the manager he needed to act to bring in a new striker.
Speaking to UTD Podcast hosts Helen Evans, Sam Homewood and David May, Sir Alex admitted he considered other options before pulling off the masterstroke of landing Leeds United forward Cantona.