Football: LARSSON WOULD HAVE BURRIED US; RECORD SPORT SPECIAL ON THE TRANSFER THAT'S STUNNED FOOTBALL He'd have scored Saha chances says Mark.

Byline: BY NEIL CAMERON 

MARK WILSON last night insisted Celtic's Champions League dreams could have been in tatters had Henrik Larsson joined Manchester United a couple of weeks earlier.

Wilson reckons the Magnificent Seven would have been certain to put away the penalty that Louis Saha missed last week to secure Celtic's passage to the last 16.

The right-back was a Hoops fan before he arrived at Parkhead just over a year ago as a player - and Larsson was his hero.

But he could hardly believe his ears when he returned from training at Barrowfield at lunchtime yesterday to discover that Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson had made the Swede his latest signing.

Wilson did not hesitate to say that Larsson would be a success at United, just as he has been wherever he has played.

But the Celtic star was delighted that the "King of Kings" did not seal the move to the Premiership leaders until now.

He said: "If Henrik had played in the game last week he would have stuck away that penalty or at least one of the other chances they had. So I'm glad he hadn't joined United before we played them.

"It is an unbelievable move for him. I don't think many people saw it coming. Henrik is a fantastic player who scored goals here and at Barcelona.

"I'm sure it will be no different at Manchester United. He will be a great signing for them in the time that he is there.

"I thought Henrik was about to call it a day and take a step back. I was surprised when he left Barcelona for Helsingborgs but to step back into the big time is a shock.

"He was brilliant for Celtic and brought so much joy to the fans with all the goals he scored. His all-round play meant he was a great servant to the club and gave so much. Henrik wasn't one of those foreign players who came here just for the money.

"You could see he cared about the club and was sorely missed when he left.

"In fact, it's only now that we are getting over his departure, although we would like him still to be here."

Wilson may be a Celtic fan but as a Dundee United player the sight of Larsson was never one to be enjoyed as an opposition player, no matter how much he admired the hitman.

Larsson hammered in more goals against United thanWilson cared to count or remember.

But there was one day when he didn't mind too much.

He said: "There were a lot of times when he scored against United and always made it difficult for us.

"Henrik's last league game for Celtic was against United at Parkhead and I was part of that. It was a great occasion.

"He scored two goals that day and the crowd went really wild. I even got a goal that day - from a penalty - although we were 2-0 down by them.

"But it was good to score on that particular day.

"Henrik was one of the best players to have played in Scottish football. I speak to the guys here and they talk about the way he worked on his upper body and that all the young boys learned from him in training."

Wilson broke a bone in his foot during the first Champions League clash with Manchester United and is only now getting back to full fitness.

Paul Telfer has done well since he returned to the side but it is likely to be only be a matter of time before 22-year-old Wilson regains his place.

He said: "I'm okay. I played half an hour for the reserves last week and then 75 minutes on Tuesday. That was a good workout.

"It has been good to train with the first-team again. My foot is fine and it's a case of waiting for my chance.

"I did feel left out of it when the boys were winning and doing well. At least I was on the bench for the United match and felt part of things again."

It remains to be seen whether Wilson features against Aberdeen today and against a former teammate who is enjoying his football again after some tough times.

Wilson said: "I played with Lee Miller last season and he had a tough time at Tannadice.

"But he was a terrific player in training and sometimes didn't get a chance in games when he was subbed after an hour or so.

"I don't know if he enjoyed United but he has shown at Aberdeen what a good player he is and has scored some important goals for them.

"Nobody has really spoken much about Aberdeen. They have sneaked up on everyone and are joint second.

"It was tough for us at Pittodrie and we were maybe lucky to win 1-0.

"Aberdeen might be more defensive at Parkhead and try to hit us on the break."

LARSSON FACTFILE

1971: Born September 10, in Sweden.

1986: Joins hometown club Helsingborgs.

1993: Joins Feyenoord and wins Dutch Cup twice.

1994: In Sweden's World Cup squad in USA.

1997: Joins Celtic for pounds 650,000.

1998: Scores 16 league goals as Celtic win title.

1999: Named Sweden's Player of the Year. Breaks leg in Lyon.

2000: Plays at Euro 2000 for Sweden,

2001: Helps Celtic to treble, wins UEFA Golden Shoe and breaks Charlie Nicholas' post-war record of 48 goals in a season.

2002: Quits international scene after World Cup and becomes Scotland's top scorer in Europe with 22.

2003: Fractures his jaw, returns to international scene, nets twice in UEFA Cup Final but Porto win 3-2.

2004: Equals Bobby Lennox's post-war record of 167 league goals. Final tally is 242 goals in 315 games. Joins Barcelona. Plays at Euro 2004.

2006: Helps Barca win La Liga and comes on as sub as they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League Final, making both goals.

Returns to Helsingborgs. Agrees to join Manchester United on a three-month loan from January 1, 2007.

LARSSON OLDBOYS

HENRIK LARSSON'S move to Manchester United will see him become the latest former Celtic player to make the move to Old Trafford.

Here are some of his illustrious predecessors:

Jimmy Delaney 

Sir Matt Busby made the late Parkhead legend one of his first signings in 1946.

Two years later Delaney earned the unique distinction of being an FA Cup winner in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Pat Crerand

After six lean years at Parkhead, Crerand signed for pounds 40,000 in 1963 and won almost everything in the club game. Another star of Busby's Old Trafford tenure, he was instrumental in the European Cup win of 1968.

Lou Macari

One of the famous "Quality Street Kids" Macari left Glasgow in 1973 for pounds 220,000 and became an Old Trafford great.

Brian McClair

Snapped up by Alex Ferguson in 1987 the hitman made an instant impact bagging 24 goals in his first season and became a United hero.

Liam Miller

Signed on a Bosman in 2004 but after failing to make an impression he was loaned out to Leeds and is now at Sunderland.

CAPTION(S):

ON THE SPOT: Louis Saha after his penalty hell