Carlo Ancelotti reveals why he turned down the Manchester United job
Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that he turned down the Manchester United job when he was on the verge of joining Real Madrid. The Everton manager was at PSG when he was short-listed for the managerial position at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson was retiring and the legendary Manchester United manager was on the lookout for his ideal replacement. With Carlo Ancelotti turning down the job, Ferguson picked David Moyes, who was at Everton, to be his successor at Manchester United.
Carlo Ancelotti was talking to the media ahead of Everton's meeting with Manchester United in the Carabao Cup when he revealed this information. The two sides clash tonight at the Goodison Park with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.
“You want to know from me [about coaching at Man Utd]? I can say that I still keep a fantastic relationship with Sir Alex, and we met when he decided to stop (retire). But I was close to Real Madrid, and so I appreciate the fact that, at that time, he talked to me. And that’s it," said Ancelotti.
The Italian had Premier League experience and was one of the best managers in the world at that point in his career. Sir Alex Ferguson was keen on having Ancelotti take over from him at Manchester United but Real Madrid had already made the move.
Carlo Ancelotti's career since the Manchester United offer
Carlo Ancelotti enjoyed a successful spell at Real Madrid but never managed to win the league in Spain. The manager did manage to win the Champions League, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup but was sacked a just year later in 2015.
The Italian was then appointed the manager of Bayern Munich but that too lasted just over a year. After several key players turned against the manager, the Bayern Munich board sacked Ancelotti in September 2017.
No club seemed ready to take a gamble with Ancelotti at the time but Napoli took a chance on the Italian after Chelsea showed an interest in poaching Maurizio Sarri from the Serie A side. The former Real Madrid manager was appointed in May 2018, but once again, he was sacked after just 18 months at the club.
However, Ancelotti was not out of a job for long as Everton appointed him as their manager within 11 days of his sacking and he has been with the Toffees for a year now.