Swiss Coach Rejected Chance To Manage United

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has revealed he rejected the chance to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2002 due to his own concerns over an inability to speak English.

Hitzfeld, one of only three coaches alongside Ernst Happel and Jose Mourinho to win the European Cup with different clubs, was shortlisted as a candidate to replace Ferguson following the Scot’s announcement that he would retire at the end of the 2001-02 season.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich coach admits the language barrier would have proven too large an obstacle had he taken charge at Old Trafford.

He said: “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 express myself in German because this is my mother tongue. I didn’t think I would be able to do myself justice if I had to speak to the players in English. I would not be able to get my emotions and feelings across."
- Mark Ogden, Telegraph -