Arsene Wenger showed “interest” in succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United when the Scotsman first announced his intention to step down in 2001 and met with the club’s hierarchy, ex-chairman Martin Edwards has claimed.

Ferguson announced his desire to step down in the 2001/02 season before performing a U-turn later in the term. He went on to remain at Old Trafford for more than decade.

But United acted quickly ahead of Ferguson’s eventual change of heart and made contact with Wenger in their search for a successor.

Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager Show all 15 1 /15 Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 1996 – Becomes Arsenal Manager Wenger leaves Japanese side Grampus Eight to become the Arsenal Manager. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 1998 – Wins League and FA Cup double Arsenal win the league setting a new club record of 10 consecutive wins and also secure FA Cup glory beating Newcastle 2-0 in the final. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 1999 - Charity Shield victory over Manchester United Arsene Wenger lifts the charity shield in 1999 after Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. The first of many highly contested games Sir Alex Ferguson's side. Getty Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 1999 – Signs Thierry Henry from Juventus Arsenal signed Thierry Henry from Serie A side Juventus for £11 million. Henry went on to become the club’s all-time top goalscorer with 228 goals in 377 appearances. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2002 – Second League and FA Cup double The Frenchman wins his second double with Arsenal tipping Manchester United and Liverpool to top spot in the league and defeating Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup final. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2002 - Community Shield added to double Arsenal add the Community Shield to their Premier League trophy and FA Cup double. Getty Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2003 - OBE from the Queen and FA Cup victory Wenger’s men beat Southampton 1-0 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and in the same year he given an honouree OBE by the Queen. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2004 – The ‘Invincibles’ In 2004, Arsenal were at the peak of their powers under Wenger. His philosophy of possession-based free-flowing football, combined with the talent of players such as Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, led Wenger’s men to the league title and an unbeaten 49 game streak. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2005 – FA Cup victory against Manchester United Arsenal beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United 5-4 on penalties for Wenger’s fourth FA Cup trophy. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2006 – Champions League final v Barcelona Wenger’s team came the closest they have ever been to European glory, narrowly losing 2-1 to Barcelona, after going a goal up through Sol Campbell in the first-half. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2014 - FA Cup victory against Hull City Having not won a piece of silverware in nine years, the pressure was certainly on for Wenger as Arsenal took on Hull City at Wembley. It only got worse for Wenger as Hull took a 2-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes. However, his team managed to fight their way back into the game and sealed victory with a dramatic 3-2 comeback in extra-time. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2014 - Another Community Shield in the bag Arsene Wenger watches his Arsenal players celebrate with the Community Shield after they beat Manchester City 3-0 at Wembley Stadium. Getty Images Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2015 – FA Cup winners against Aston Villa After the drama of the previous year’s final against Hull, Wenger’s side cruised to a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in front of a packed Wembley crowd. Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2017 - The FA Cup master Having faced called for his head all season from his own fans, Wenger ended the year with his hand around that familiar trophy yet again for a record seventh time - more than any other manager. Getty Arsene Wenger's best moments as Arsenal manager 2017 - The last of his Community Shields Arsene Wenger holds the Community Shield aloft alongside Petr Cech as they celebrate their victory over Chelsea. Arsenal also beat the Blues in the 2015 Community Shield. This would be the last of Wenger's seven community shields. AFP/Getty

The Arsenal boss allegedly registered "a little bit of interest" in the position and met with Edwards and former chief executive Peter Kenyon.

"Our first choice was Arsene," Edwards has revealed in his new autobiography, Red Glory.

"Since joining Arsenal in 1996 Wenger had been greatly successful, especially in his first full season in charge when he won the Double.

"And while it's true to say he suffered hard times since, at the time we thought he was the best candidate to replace Alex. Certainly he was my number one choice.

"So we made our approach and Wenger did show a little bit of interest, enough to want to meet Peter Kenyon and me at his house in London to listen to what we had to say."

Several meetings took place between Wenger and United but the Frenchman opted to stay put with Arsenal, where he remains to this day.

Edwards believes that Wenger’s “loyalty” to the club’s then hierarchy kept him from swapping north London for Manchester.