It was believed that the legendary manager handpicked David Moyes to succeed him but it has now been claimed that the Red Devils approached the Italian coach first

Manchester United wanted Carlo Ancelotti to replace former boss Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm in the summer, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Ferguson retired at the end of last season, having guided the Red Devils to Premier League glory, and was replaced by David Moyes, who was subsequently sacked after failing to deliver European football to Old Trafford, with Louis van Gaal recently named as his successor.

Perez has now claimed Moyes was not the senior Scot’s first choice, insisting Ferguson asked Ancelotti to take the job when he was still at PSG, even though the Italian had already agreed a deal with the Spanish side.

“Ferguson called him [Ancelotti] to be his successor but he told him he had already promised to come here with us,” the Madrid supremo stated.

Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and the FA Cup with Chelsea, has previously denied that he was approached by United.

However, he has revealed that he would be open to managing Italy in the future, though he intends to continue with the Champions League winners for now.

“Coaching the your country’s national side is always a goal,” the 54-year-old told reporters.

“But I still want to be on the [training] field every day; I very much enjoy the daily relationship with the team.

“When I am no longer having fun … I’ll call the Italian Football Federation [FIGC]. When [Cesare] Prandelli’s contract expires [in 2016],” he jokingly added.