Arsene Wenger rejected the chance to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United , according to the Old Trafford club's former chairman.

Ferguson initially decided to leave United at the end of the 2001/02 season - before performing a u-turn.

But Martin Edwards - who is now honorary life president - has revealed he met with Wenger several times.

“I have to say that his decision came as both a surprise and a shock to all of us," he told GQ Magazine .

"Once we realised that he was very serious about it and that his mind was made up, there were lots of discussions at board level about a possible replacement.

"Our first choice was Arsene Wenger. Since joining Arsenal in 1996, Wenger had been pretty successful, especially in his first full season in charge when he won the Double.

Wenger could have been in the home dugout (
Image:
Manchester Evening News)
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Image:
AFP)

"And while it’s true to say that he has suffered hard times since, at the time we all thought he was the best candidate to replace Alex. Certainly he was my No.1 choice.

“Wenger did show a little bit of interest, enough to want to meet with both Peter Kenyon and me at his home in London to listen to what we had to say.

“In fact, we had a couple of meetings with him and for a while we thought there was a possibility of him joining us.

"But I think Wenger felt a loyalty towards David Dein. He was very close to David, and that was the reason he gave us in the end for turning down United.

"He felt that he had started something with Arsenal and that his attachment to the club was too great, he didn't want to break that bond.”

Ferguson eventually left United in 2013 and was succeeded by David Moyes.

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