Al Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia has revealed that he was 'very close' to replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager in November last year.
Following a run of four defeats in five Premier League matches, United sacked Solskjaer in the aftermath of a dismal 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road. The Norwegian was booed and jeered by members of the away end, meaning it felt like the former striker's time at the club had run its course.
Despite being interested in the possibility of appointing former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager, United turned to former RB Leipzig and Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick, appointing him on a temporary deal until the end of the season. The German, despite pointing out a catalogue of previous failures made by the club, flopped during his short-term stint as interim manager, guiding United to a sixth-placed finish in the league.
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Rangnick was understood to have impressed United's decision makers with his philosophy and sales pitch, putting him in pole position to land the job. However, Frenchman Garcia, who is reportedly keen to add former United striker Cristiano Ronaldo to his Al Nassr squad in Saudi Arabia, has admitted that he was also in the conversation to succeed Solskjaer, as revealed by the MEN last year at the time.
The 58-year-old, who has managed the likes of Lille and Roma in the past, held talks with both John Murtough and Darren Fletcher. He has also admitted that he was 'very motivated' to land the job.
"I think that any coach would be delighted to train a great star like Cristiano and already in November 2021 I was very close to going to United," Garcia told AS. "They chose Ralf Rangnick, but I met twice with John Murtough and Darren Fletcher
"I came very close to coaching this club and was very motivated to go, who wouldn’t be motivated to coach United? Any coach. United's simple interest has allowed me to be sure of my ambitions in the future.
"I have always thought that the great players are the easiest to manage because they are very intelligent, I verified this with Francesco Totti at Roma."
Garcia, who only took charge of Al Nassr in June, has spent the bulk of his managerial career working in both France and Italy. However, the Frenchman has admitted that he has aspirations of, one day, working in Spain and England.
The Al Nassr boss added: "Of course, without disrespecting Al Nassr, one day I think I will train in Spain, for sure. I would also like to train in the Premier League."
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