Ex-Arsenal chief approached Sir Alex Ferguson before legendary Scotsman took Manchester United job Reports × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Football EPL 2022-23 Rumors

Ex-Arsenal chief approached Sir Alex Ferguson before legendary Scotsman took Manchester United job Reports

By Matthew Guyett Modified 12 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Ferguson was shortlisted for the Arsenal job in 1986 Former Arsenal chief David Dein has explained how he sized up Sir Alex Ferguson to become the Gunners' manager before he took the Manchester United job. Ferguson cemented himself as one of the greatest managers in the history of English football. The Scot won the Premier League title 13 times with United over his 26 years at the Old Trafford helm. However, he could have been in charge of their Premier League rivals Arsenal. Dein was considering then-Aberdeen boss Ferguson for the Gunners' managerial role back in 1986. The former Gunners chief wrote in his Daily Mail column: “I had this idea to get Alex Ferguson to succeed Don Howe, while another board member suggested George Graham." Dein went on to explain how the board pushed for Graham: "It was really between Alex and George. The board thought George could do the job. He was young, aspiring and hungry. He was elegant and always well turned-out. He started lower down to learn the ropes of management." He viewed Graham as more of a risk than Sir Alex, given that the latter had European experience with Aberdeen: “I thought it might be a risk. Alex, on the other hand, had more experience and more success. His Aberdeen team had been a revelation and won impressively, including in Europe. So I floated the idea of a double act — that we bring Alex in as No 1 with George to be his No 2." He added: “In the end, I went along with the decision to appoint George. He wanted more money than we ended up offering. I remember him saying: ‘This is not what I was looking for but if I am successful, then I won’t be cheap!” Premier League@premierleague @ManUtd - Arsenal ?

Sir Alex Ferguson's side put on a show for the Old Trafford faithful #OnThisDay in 2001 5365927 @ManUtd 6️⃣-1️⃣ Arsenal ?Sir Alex Ferguson's side put on a show for the Old Trafford faithful #OnThisDay in 2001 https://t.co/skEvYhwR9S

Manchester United miss Ferguson but Arsenal don t

Ferguson clashed with Wenger on many occasions

Sir Alex led Manchester United to Champions League glory on two occasions, five FA Cups alongside winning the title 13 times. However, Ferguson's iconic career in the Premier League had its very best moments during his clashes with Arsenal. His longtime rivalry with former Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger is still one of the most fascinating stories of the Premier League era. The legendary Scot took on the Arsenal 69 times during his career, winning 31, drawing 17 and losing 21. Manchester United@ManUtdSir Alex Ferguson has been chatting to #MUTV about #MUNARS and Arsene Wenger... #MUFC60421771Sir Alex Ferguson has been chatting to #MUTV about #MUNARS and Arsene Wenger... #MUFC https://t.co/43iap5WW8e Ferguson faced no other manager on more occasions than the 49 meetings with Wenger. He won 23 of those clashes, drawing 10 and losing 16. Meanwhile, the former Manchester United manager faced Graham 27 times, winning 11, drawing 8 and losing 8. Manchester United are missing their legendary manager having only won three major trophies since his retirement in 2013. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Matthew Guyett × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeScheduleT20 World CupT20 warm upIND vs SAENG vs PAKAUS vs ENGLegends LeagueECS T10 CroatiaWBBL 2022ECC T10SMAT 2022Bukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022ECT10 FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Crown Jewel 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxFree PicksSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी