Ottmar Hitzfeld has revealed how he knocked back the chance to manage Manchester United.
The Switzerland boss was top of United's wanted list after Sir Alex Ferguson announced at the start of the 2001-02 season he would retire as boss at the end of that campaign.
At the time, Hitzfeld had just led Bayern Munich to Champions League glory - four years after winning the same trophy with Borussia Dortmund.
He recalled: "I don't want to go into too many details because it was between myself and Manchester United.
"But I decided to stay in Germany because when I am coaching I prefer to use my mother tongue.
"I didn't think I would be able to do myself justice if I had to speak to players in English.
"I would not be able to get my emotions and feelings across, and that is important as a coach."
