Mark McGhee admits former Celtic and Scotland boss Gordon Strachan "was battling for me" at Dundee after being appointed manager of the Dens Park club for the rest of this season.
The 64-year-old former Motherwell and Aberdeen gaffer has replaced James McPake, who was dismissed on Wednesday, despite winning his last two games.
Strachan, who is Dundee's technical director, suggested his former Aberdeen teammate to Dens Park chief executive John Nelms.
Nelms revealed that discussions within the club had been ongoing for a couple of weeks, as they battle to stay in the Premiership, in which they are currently a point ahead of bottom-placed St Johnstone.
McGhee, who has an immediate six-game ban to serve, has sympathy for McPake and said the idea of taking over the Tayside club hot seat only came up in the last few days.
He said: "I've been in James' position as often as I've been in this position, so I know how it works.
"I was made to understand that I was one amongst a couple at least that Dundee were considering.
"Gordon was battling for me, but there were other people.
"It's only last minute that it became the idea that I would come here. We've not been talking about this for months - it's not like that."
McGhee, former boss at Leicester, Wolves and Brighton, and who was at Fir Park for two spells, was assistant at National League club Stockport until October, when Simon Rusk was sacked as manager.
Rusk joins McGhee at Dundee as assistant alongside Dave Mackay, and the former Aberdeen and Celtic striker hopes they'll be there long-term.
He said: "I do have a history of going into clubs and being able to turn it around in the short term. We want to be here in the longer term.
"I keep wanting to prove myself. I keep wanting to prove people right and I keep wanting to prove people wrong.
"The day I stop feeling that is the day I stop doing it."
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