Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger reveals he was once offered the Manchester United job

Legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he was offered the Manchester United job. 

The Frenchman left north London in 2018, ending his 22-year tenure at the club in which he won three Premier League titles and the FA Cup on seven separate occasions. 

While in charge of the Gunners, the 70-year-old was a fierce rival of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, with the two clubs regularly competing for top honours in the late 1990s and early noughties.

Arsene Wenger has revealed he was offered the Manchester United job during his career

The Frenchman is an Arsenal legend having been hugely successful over 22 years at the club

Wenger has been out of work since leaving the Emirates Stadium two years ago, and is pondering his next move after his outstanding spell with the Gunners. 

And Wenger has revealed that he was offered the opportunity to make a controversial switch from Arsenal to Old Trafford, but refused to pinpoint the moment he was offered the United gig. 

Confirming to The Times that he had been offered roles at Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and the France national team, Wenger said he had also been offered a job at Paris Saint-Germain ‘a few times’.  

Wenger said he has been offered numerous jobs during his esteemed managerial career

Wenger, 70, said United approached him but refused to specify when the job was offered

Having been asked whether he was offered the managerial job at United, Wenger said: ‘Yes,’ but said ‘I don’t tell you that’ when asked when the offer was made.

‘But I can tell you Man United offered me the job.’

Wenger was reportedly approached by the club during the 2000-01 campaign, when Ferguson was said to be considering retirement. 

The Frenchman has not been in a managerial job since leaving Arsenal two years ago

Former United chairman Martin Edwards and deputy chief executive Peter Kenyon are said to have held talks with Wenger before Ferguson made a dramatic U-turn and stayed on for a further 12 years.  

‘We have a lot of respect for each other now,’ Wenger said of his relationship with former arch rival Ferguson. ‘We had a period when it was very tough, very hot.

‘After you’re not competing any more, everyone becomes a bit more objective.

‘He knows better wine than I do. Ah, we had some good battles. He’s an intelligent man. You don’t make a career like this guy if you’re stupid.’