Manchester United lured Sir Alex Ferguson under false pretences in 1986 according to then-chairman Martin Edwards

• e-mail

Manchester United lied in their attempts to secure then-Aberdeen boss Sir Alex Ferguson as their new manager in 1986. 

Once the Old Trafford hierarchy had decided to sack boss Ron Atkinson, United chairman Martin Edwards had only one replacement in mind.

It seemed Edwards was willing to go to unusual lengths to ensure he got his man, even lying to Aberdeen in the process.

Martin Edwards (left) admitted to lying in order to secure Sir Alex Ferguson as manager 

Speaking on the Warm Down podcast, Edwards revealed a club director put on a Scottish accent and pretended to be Gordon Strachan's agent in order to speak to Ferguson. 

He said: 'Obviously I couldn't just pick up the phone to the secretary at Aberdeen and say 'this is Martin Edwards, can I speak to Alex Ferguson'.

'So one of my directors came up with the idea of getting on the phone, put on a Scottish accent and say they were Gordon Strachan's agent or account or whatever.'

Ferguson had impressed the Old Trafford club with his impressive record at the Scottish side.

The Scot won three championships and four Scottish cups with Aberdeen but it was his Cup Winners' Cup win over Real Madrid that really stood out.

Edwards admitted to pretending to be Gordon Strachan's agent in order to speak to Aberdeen 

Edwards added: 'As soon as I was able to speak to Alex I just said 'is it worth us coming up for a talk' and he gave us the right vibes. So we agreed to meet that night. It was pre-Ron being fired.'

'There was no shortlist. I'd met Alex as part of the Strachan deal (Ferguson was instrumental in United signing Gordon Strachan).

'He was helpful with us getting Strachan, so that's when I personally got to know Fergie. 

The rest, of course, was history. Ferguson won 13 league titles with United as well as two Champions League medals, stamping his mark as a legend at the club.