*Sir Alex Ferguson turned down Arsenal job, says Jim Leighton*
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Jim Leighton, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, has disclosed that Arsenal wanted Sir Alex Ferguson to take over as manager of the club in the summer of 1986.
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*Leighton, the former Scotland goalkeeper, was talking to Mark Chapman on his BBC Radio Five programme The World Cup Years: 1986 when he said the Highbury board approached Ferguson as a replacement for Don Howe as the Scot prepared his side for their World Cup finals campaign in Mexico.*
After taking Scotland to Mexico following the death of Jock Stein, Ferguson, according to Leighton refused to commit to any domestic issues while on international duty.
“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 getting 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.�
Studio guest Kenny Sansom, the former England and Arsenal full-back, said he “didn’t have a clue� about the approach.
“I didn’t know about that, and I played under George [Graham] too. But I ‘m sure George wouldn’t have said they offered the job to Alex first�.
Gerry Armstrong, the former Northern Ireland and Tottenham Hotspur forward, added: “I knew he was lined up at Tottenham, maybe a year before that�.
Leighton, who also worked with Ferguson at Aberdeen and Manchester United, added that his manager's controversial decision to omit Alan Hansen from the finals was because the Liverpool defender went 'missing' against lesser teams.
“As far as Alan Hansen was concerned, Fergie believed that he wasn’t always 'turning up' for games against maybe Luxembourg, the Faroes or San Marino,� said Leighton.
“He only wanted to 'turn up' for the really important games.�