Fergie turned down Olympics job

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he turned down the chance to manage the Great Britain team at London 2012.

Ferguson said Lord Sebastian Coe approached him about managing the football team at next summer’s Olympics before offering the job to current England under-21 manager Stuart Pearce.

Ferguson said he had constructive talks with the Olympic supremo but was in no position to combine his role with the Manchester side and the temporary summer position.

“I told Seb that if I wasn’t managing at the time I might consider it. But I am managing. I’m busy here at Manchester United,” Ferguson said to The Daily Mirror.

The 69-year-old is approaching 25 years as manager at Old Trafford and has previously stated he has no intention of stepping down from the Premier League champions anytime soon.

Meanwhile, retired midfielder Paul Scholes says the rise of Manchester City will only spur Sir Alex Ferguson to prolong his reign at Old Trafford.

United have always enjoyed a dominance over their city rivals during Ferguson’s near 25-year spell at the club, though the blue half of Manchester have become serious title contenders this season following the Abu Dhabi takeover.

“Sir Alex has seen off Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in his time at United,” Scholes said.

“Having City challenging him now will only be a big motivation for him to carry on. He will want to make sure that City never finish above us while he’s still in charge at Old Trafford.”

“He might have beaten Liverpool’s record with a 19th title, but there’s absolutely no sign of him stopping.”

“When you see this new team he’s built, playing the football they are, there’s no reason for him to think about retirement.”

“In fact, I think being manager of Manchester United and the constant challenges to come with the job helps to keep him feeling young.”