Sir Alex Ferguson put forward the name of one of Manchester United’s arch rivals
David O’Leary has revealed he was in the frame to become Manchester United boss after being recommended by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2001/02 season, triggering a search for his successor. O’Leary was making waves at bitter rivals Leeds United at the time, leading the club to the Champions League semi-finals in 2001 after a third-placed finish in the Premier League the year before.
So when Ferguson was asked for his thoughts on a potential successor, the Scot came up with O’Leary, who had replaced George Graham at Elland Road in 1998, and two other names. Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football, O’Leary confirmed the approach: “Michael Kennedy [his solicitor] did, yeah, [hear] about it.
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“Alex had recommended about three people or something like that. It never went any further than that. One of the chosen ones, yeah.”
O’Leary and the other ‘chosen ones’ did not get the chance after Ferguson performed a U-turn, which saw him remain at the helm for another 11 years. Ferguson has subsequently admitted the decision to announce his retirement was a mistake.
He said: “The biggest mistake I made was announcing it at the start of the season. I think a lot of them had put their tools away.
“They thought, ‘Oh, the manager’s leaving.’ But when I changed my mind in the January, I started thinking about United again and how we could get back on top.”
By then, chief executive Peter Kenyon had been inundated by agents representing some of the world’s top managers, who relished the opportunity of succeeding Ferguson.
Then the England boss claimed he secretly signed a contract to be United manager after the 2002 World Cup finals.
Meanwhile, O’Leary was sacked by Leeds in 2002, before the club entered a period of financial turmoil. At the time, there was speculation that relations between him and the club had broken down over the proposed sale of Rio Ferdinand to United.
Twenty-four years on, Ferguson hasn’t been consulted over the current managerial situation at Old Trafford, although he is understood to be in favour of the expected appointment of Michael Carrick, who has impressed as interim boss since taking charge in January.
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