Real Madrid hero rejected chance to join Manchester United

Manchester United have never gotten back to the top of the English game since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson over a decade ago. They have brought in numerous managers since then but nobody has been able to bring the glory days back. Erik ten Hag is their current manager and with the club struggling for form right now, his days at Old Trafford might come to an end soon if things don't improve quickly. Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, won't be the one to replace him though.

Ancelotti was being linked with both Manchester United and the Brazil national team recently, with his future at Real Madrid in doubt. But the Italian has ended up signing an extension with Los Blancos instead.

That would have seemed impossible not too long ago. Real Madrid's excellent start to the campaign, despite the challenging circumstances, seemed to convince the club that Ancelotti was the right man for the job though.

As reported by Defensa Central (via The Hard Tackle), Manchester United were interested in Ancelotti and were ready to double his salary. But he chose to remain at Santiago Bernabeu, renewing his contract.

Real Madrid hero rejected chance to join Manchester United

It is not hard to see why any manager would choose Real Madrid over Manchester United right now. Los Blancos have continued to enjoy success even under difficult circumstances. On the other hand, the Old Trafford side have not put up a serious challenge for either the Premier League or the Champions League in more than a decade.

Ancelotti is 64 years of age. This is the twilight of his managerial career. He will surely want to end it on a winning note.

The chances of that happening are much higher at Real Madrid than at Manchester United. There have also been suggestions that Ancelotti could retire from management when his latest deal runs out.