Arsene Wenger, Manchester United, Arsenal

CAIRO – 11 September 2017: Arsene Wenger revealed that he turned down the chance to be the manager of Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. He preferred the values of Arsenal.

"Our first choice was Arsene. Since joining Arsenal in 1996 Wenger had been greatly successful, especially in his first full season in charge when he won the Double." Martin Edwards, former Chairman of Manchester united, said.

He stated in his autobiography: "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."

Arsene has never felt the need to quit the Gunners. He said: “I love the values of this club and, for me, a club is about values first. One day it would be a good chat to have with the press to look at the evolution.

He continued: “You speak about Man United, the evolution in the last 20 years would be very interesting. A lot has changed but when I came here this club was about values that I love in sport. That is why I am still in the competition.
Wenger, now 67, signed a two-year contract extension with Arsenal in the summer.