Former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards has revealed that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was the club's top choice to replace Sir Alex Ferguson in 2002.
Ferguson announced his intention to step down at the end of the 2001-02 campaign, only to then backtrack on that decision and remain in place at Old Trafford for another trophy-laden decade.
United chiefs had a shortlist of names to take over from the Scotsman, though the man they wanted most - long-serving Arsenal manager Wenger - rejected them out of loyalty to the North London outfit.
"Our first choice was Arsene," Edwards wrote in his autobiography, Red Glory. "Since joining Arsenal in 1996 Wenger had been greatly successful, especially in his first full season in charge when he won the Double. And while it's true to say he suffered hard times since, at the time we thought he was the best candidate to replace Alex.
"Certainly he was my number one choice. So we made our approach and Wenger did show a little bit of interest, enough to want to meet Peter Kenyon and me at his house 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 loyalty to 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 he had started something with Arsenal and that his attachment to the club was too great, he didn't want to break the bond."
Wenger has won six major honours since the end of the 2001-02 campaign - one Premier League trophy and five FA Cups.
Daniel Lewis
