Man Utd chief denied Sir Alex Ferguson's chosen next manager who 'wanted to join'

Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Jose Mourinho to replace him as Manchester United manager in 2013 but was overruled by Sir Bobby Charlton, according to former defender Patrice Evra. Ferguson's retirement marked the end of an era of dominance and the start of a turbulent decade-long decline at Old Trafford.

David Moyes, branded 'The Chosen One' by supporters after being handpicked by Ferguson to inherit the mantle, didn't last a season.

There has been a sense of regret over the appointment since Moyes' disastrous tenure, given Mourinho and then-Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp were also strongly linked.

And Evra has dropped a bombshell claim that the former was, in fact, Ferguson's chosen successor rather than his fellow Scot at Everton.

However, the Frenchman has suggested that late United legend Charlton, a director and ambassador at the time, blocked Mourinho's arrival due to his antics at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

"Jose was the next one. I will tell you some of the reasons why. First of all, Jose was dying [to join]. He wanted to," Evra revealed on the Obi One Podcast.

"I remember when we played against Real Madrid in the Champions League [in 2013] when Nani got sent off.

"Mourinho, after the game, when we lost, he came and shook everyone's hands and said 'you are the real winner' and everything. But you could see he loved United.

"Ferguson wanted him. The person I think didn't want Mourinho to come was Bobby Charlton because of all the things when Mourinho was the manager of Madrid.

"You know, fighting on the touchline, creating chaos. They say a United manager needs more class [but] even Ferguson was going to the referee and was doing things... but it's Sir Alex Ferguson.

"To be fair, I regret it because when people were talking about Mourinho, I couldn't wait. I couldn't wait because we needed that."

Mourinho eventually did take the reins at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016, following the sacking of Moyes' replacement, Louis van Gaal.

And while the Portuguese coach only lasted two full seasons, he is widely considered United's best manager since Ferguson.

Mourinho lifted the Carabao Cup and Europa League in his first campaign before reaching the FA Cup final in his second.

Evra added: "Don't get me wrong, he came, and he's finished second and won the Europa League, and he said 'I've done a miracle.'

"People said this guy is crazy and 'you have such a big ego', but in the end, he wasn't wrong. You have to give him a lot of credit."