Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has finally revealed for the first time why he rejected Sir Alex Ferguson’s offer to take over as Manchester United boss after the legendary Scot’s retirement in 2013.
Ancelotti is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League three times, a feat that hadn’t gone unnoticed with Ferguson but the Italian, whose Everton side face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night had all but agreed to join Real Madrid at the time but was grateful to Ferguson for considering him in the first place.
Recalling the proposal from Ferguson, he said:
“I can say that I still keep a fantastic relationship with Sir Alex, and we met when he decided to [retire].
“But I was close to Real Madrid, and so I appreciate the fact that at that time he talked to me. And that’s it, no other opportunity [to manage United].”
David Moyes eventually assumed the post as Ferguson’s successor but was subsequently sacked after just eight months, with Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, respectively, having their turns in the Old Trafford hotseat, ending up with club legend Solskjaer currently two years into his rollercoaster tenure at United.
Ancelotti, meanwhile, has gone on to manage Bayern Munich and Napoli since Ferguson’s retirement and is now 12 months into his reign at Everton.