Manchester United manager: Arsene Wenger says he was offered a job at Old Trafford

 

Manchester United manager: Arsene Wenger says he was offered a job at Old Trafford.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he was offered the opportunity to coach Manchester United. Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 after spending 22 years in charge of the Gunners.

However, the French manager believes he should have left the London club sooner than he did, and staying was a mistake he regrets. Wenger admitted that he was emotionally involved and therefore turned down several opportunities to coach other important teams.

Wenger was apparently offered the job on the French national team alongside prestigious managerial positions at Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United.

Wenger has also reflected on the internal tensions within the Arsenal board since 2007 and how the Gunners have never managed to return to the top of English football since then.

He told the Telegraph: “I completely identified with the club, that was the mistake I made. My fatal flaw is that I love too much where I am … where I was. I regret it. I should have gone elsewhere. He could have gone to the French team. The English team matched two or three times. I could have gone to Real Madrid twice. He could have gone to Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, even Man United ”.

 

He added: “Sometimes I wonder: did something break after that season of Invincible? 2007 was a turning point. It was the first time that I could feel that there were tensions within the board. He was torn between being loyal to the club and being loyal to David. [Dein]. I still wonder today if I did the right thing because life was never exactly the same afterward. I thought, ‘Now I have to go to the end of this project.’

Wenger’s revelations will certainly surprise Arsenal fans. The Frenchman is undoubtedly the best manager in the club’s history and joining Manchester United would have been a devastating blow to the Gunners and the fans.

That said, Wenger was heavily criticized by Arsenal fans towards the end of his tenure due to failing to compete for the Premier League title. However, the Frenchman did exceptionally well in keeping the Gunners in the Champions League consistently despite limited resources and also ensured that the Londoners won multiple national cups.