MX23RW : Friday, November 22 20:39:17| >> :60:2711:2711:

Sir Alex Ferguson confirms he wanted Pep Guardiola to replace him at Man United

Sir Alex Ferguson confirms that he wanted Pep Guardiola to replace him as Manchester United manager in 2013.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that he wanted Pep Guardiola to replace him at Manchester United when the Scotsman called time on his 27-year career at Old Trafford in 2013.

The 73-year-old was eventually replaced by David Moyes, who lasted just 10 months in the role, but Ferguson has revealed that ex-Barcelona boss Guardiola was first choice.

In his new book Leading, Ferguson revealed that he met the Spaniard during a holiday in New York in 2012 and he told the coach to get in contact before taking his next job.

Guardiola eventually chose to join Bayern Munich following a sabbatical in the United States, and Ferguson has claimed that other targets, including Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Louis van Gaal were not available at the time.

"I asked Pep to phone me before he accepted an offer from another club but he didn't and wound up joining Bayern Munich in July 2013," wrote Ferguson.

"Life is such that the best of theories, or the best of intentions, sometimes don't translate into practice. Believe me, the United board wanted nothing more than to select a manager who would be with the club for a long time.

"When we started the process of looking for my replacement, we established that several very desirable candidates were unavailable."

Van Gaal is now in charge of the Red Devils.

ID:247726: cacheID:247726:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2709:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
An amused Sir Alex Ferguson watches on from the stands as Manchester United host Liverpool on September 12, 2015
Read Next:
Ferguson: 'Successor process perfect'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
19-24
Browns
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!