reached the Football League Cup final that year, but United suffered a shock 1–0 defeat to a Sheffield Wednesday side managed by Ron Atkinson, who had been Hughes's manager in his first spell at Old Trafford. Hughes was also voted PFA Player of the Year again this season. The 1990–91 season also saw Hughes score the last of his four hat-tricks for United, in a League Cup quarter-final replay against Southampton at Old Trafford, which United won 3–2. In 1991–92, Hughes suffered the disappointment of missing out on a league title medal as United were pipped to the title by Leeds United, but had some compensation in the form of a League Cup winner's medal. He found the net 11 times in the league and 14 times in all competitions. For much of the 1991–92 season, United had been linked with a move for the Southampton striker Alan Shearer, but the player chose to stay at the South Coast club until the season's end before making a decision about his future, before deciding to sign for Blackburn Rovers. Sir Alex Ferguson remained intent on signing a new striker for United that summer, although it was far from clear whether it was Hughes or his strike-partner Brian McClair who would lose his place in the first team or be switched to another position in order to accommodate a new signing. Ferguson's hunt for a new striker ended with the acquisition of Dion Dublin, although Dublin was injured after playing just a few matches for the club, and it was not long before United were in the hunt for another new striker, as a lack of goals were seeing them slip behind in the title race. Eric Cantona was eventually signed at the end of November, which prompted interest from Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan, who had first asked Ferguson about Hughes's availability that summer. Ferguson, however, insisted that Hughes was not for sale, and he remained a regular choice in the first team, playing alongside Cantona while McClair was mostly selected in central midfield from then on. In May 1993, Hughes finally collected an English league title medal as United won the first-ever Premier League title; Hughes was United's top scorer with 15 goals in the league and a further goal in the League Cup. From December, he mostly played alongside new signing Eric Cantona in attack, with Brian McClair being