"Very close..." - French manager confirms Man Utd chose Ralf Rangnick over him

Al-Nassr boss Rudi Garcia claims he held talks with Manchester United about the top job at Old Trafford before they appointed Ralf Rangnick as interim manager.

Garcia was touted as a potential short-term replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when the Norwegian was sacked as United manager in November of last year.

United instead opted to appoint former RB Leipzig head coach Ralf Rangnick as interim manager while the club conducted a search for Solskjaer's permanent replacement.

The original plan was for Rangnick to take charge of the team until the end of the 2021-22 season, at which point he was set to move into a consultancy role.

But after a disastrous end to the campaign that saw United finish sixth in the Premier League, Rangnick left the club following the appointment of Erik ten Hag as permanent manager.

Reports later claimed that Ten Hag had played a key role in Rangnick leaving the club after refusing a face-to-face meeting with the German, who is now in charge of the Austrian national side.

Garcia: I held talks with Man Utd

Former Roma, Marseille and Lyon manager Garcia claims he held talks with United before they appointed Rangnick.

"They [Manchester United] chose Ralf Rangnick, but I met twice with [director of football] John Murtough and [technical director] Darren Fletcher," Garcia told Diario AS.

"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."

Garcia is now in charge of Saudi club Al-Nassr, who have been linked with a stunning move for former United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is yet to decide his next move after having his United contract terminated by mutual consent, following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is said to have several lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, including a two-and-a-half year contract proposal from Al-Nassr.