Sir Alex Ferguson turned down Arsenal job back in 1986

Arsenal would have been managed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986 had the Gunners not pushed the Manchester United supremo in to making a decision, former Scotland goalkeeper Jim Leighton has declared.

It could have been oh so different for the Arsenal with Fergie at the helm - how they must have kicked themselves for rushing the legendary Scot in that summer, 23 years ago.

Leighton, who Ferguson, 67, signed from his old club Aberdeen in 1988, won 91 caps for Scotland. And, on a BBC radio show, admitted that Arsenal had made Ferguson their No1 choice to succeed Don Howe.

Talking to Mark Chapman on a Radio Five programme, The World Cup Years: 1986, Leighton, 50, revealed that the Highbury board had contacted Ferguson after the 1986 season - but the United legend was preparing Scotland for the World Cup Mexico.

Fergie, who before then had managed East Stirlingshire, St Mirren and - from 1978-86 - Aberdeen, had only taken on the role as Scotland manager after Jock Stein had died while in charge of the team in the previous September. And, when pushed to take the position at Highbury, he turned it down, refusing to commit to domestic issues while on international duty, according to Leighton .

Listen to the BBC audio here.

"Ferguson was offered the Arsenal job," said Leighton. "George Graham would have been his assistant, but he wanted to wait until the World Cup was finished before it was announced.

"Arsenal said they wanted it [a decision] straight away and so he refused it and George Graham got the job.

"He wanted to announce it when he got back to Aberdeen, to do it the right way."

And the rest, as they say, is history. What do you think?

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Ferguson joined Manchester United in November 1986 after Ron Atkinson had been sacked at Old Trafford.

Since then the Scot has won 11 Premier League titles, the Champions League twice, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Uefa Cup and United were crowned Fifa World Club Champions last year.

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