Aston Villa sought the advice of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson about their next managerial appointment.
The People says new Aston Villa owner Tony Xia rejected Ferguson's recommendations when he chose Roberto Di Matteo as their manager.
The Chinese development magnate canvassed the legendary former Manchester United chief Fergie for his opinion as he sought a man to rebuild Villa following their relegation to the Championship.
But in the end he went with his own man in the ex-Italy and Chelsea midfielder Di Matteo when Xia's takeover from Randy Lerner was ratified this week.
Xia is believed to have cherry-picked the former Chelsea, West Brom and MK Dons boss, as it would play well in his homeland.
Chief executive Keith Wyness confirmed that Xia is very much his own man.
He said: “I still hold a connection with Sir Alex from our shared time at Aberdeen.
"We were undertaking our research and he recommended a few managers to us.
“Sadly for Sir Alex, his first choice was discounted. Roberto's appointment was very much the chairman's decision. However, that's no slight on Sir Alex. If you can speak to the best for their opinions, why wouldn't you?"