Carlo Ancelotti claims Sir Alex Ferguson approached him to become Manchester United manager in 2013, though he had to turn it down given he already had an offer on the table from Real Madrid.
Three-time Champions League winner Ancelotti will return to coaching next season when he succeeds Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, after taking a year-long sabbatical following his removal from the Madrid post.
However, the Italian revealed that Ferguson had invited him to lunch in Paris to discuss succeeding him in the Old Trafford dugout, with the legendary Red Devils manager retiring that year.
Ancelotti was nevertheless forced to turn down the Scot's overtures given he had agreed to take over the reins at los Blancos, although he stated he would otherwise have accepted Ferguson's offer in a heartbeat.
"[It was] a nice lunch. Alex chose the wine, really expensive," the former AC Milan and Chelsea boss told The Times. "[But] I had already spoken to Real Madrid. For the experience, a manager has to go to Madrid.
"If it hadn't been for that, I would have come, 100 per cent."
David Moyes eventually stepped into the considerable void left by Ferguson and failed to see out the 2013-14 campaign, while current coach Louis van Gaal is in danger of emulating his predecessor by missing out on Champions League qualification.
Speculation continues to swirl over Van Gaal's future, but Ancelotti's believes in his experience that even the most sought-after man in modern coaching will one day become unwanted by his employers.
"At Chelsea I won the double. Sacked. At Real Madrid I won La Decima. Sacked," the incoming Bayern boss explained.
"There is no manager in their career that is not sacked. Ferguson was sacked, [Marcelo] Lippi sacked, [Fabio] Capello sacked, [Jose] Mourinho sacked, [Rafael] Benitez.
"The only one not sacked is Guardiola, but he's still really young. He has plenty of time. One day he will come into our club, the Sack Club."
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- Goal