Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed how he turned down the chance to be Arsenal manager just months before taking over at the helm at United.
The offer came early in 1986 and Fergie was keen to take Walter Smith to the Gunners with him.
But Scotland's World Cup campaign in Mexico that year meant the move to Arsenal fell through.
The Old Trafford chief made the revelations in the match programme for Rangers’ Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash against Dundee United last night - Smith's final match in charge at Ibrox.
"I was offered the Arsenal job and I wanted to take Walter with me," Fergie revealed.
"I thought I would sound him out when we were on Scotland duty together. We were going to play in Israel and I didn't know that Walter was going to Rangers at that time.
"I told him that I had been offered the chance to go to Arsenal and I asked him what he thought. He was positive, saying they were a big club.
"So I said to him ‘Do you fancy coming with me?’ Then he dropped the bombshell that he was going to Rangers.
"The thing about the Arsenal offer was that they wanted an answer right away but I couldn’t give them one as I was going to the World Cup in Mexico with Scotland.
"So the Arsenal thing fell by the wayside. Walter went to Rangers and then later that year I went to Manchester United."
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