Sir Alex Ferguson was all set to manage Team GB after confirming 'the answer is yes'

Lord Sebastian Coe has revealed how close Sir Alex Ferguson was to taking the reins of Team GB's football squad at the London 2012 Olympics.

The former chair of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, who later ascended to the presidency of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), last year shared with The Sun his efforts to secure the legendary Manchester United manager for the role.

During the 2007/08 season, Coe and Ferguson engaged in extensive discussions about the prestigious position, with Coe admitting they "got very close" to bringing him on board. In his conversation with the publication, Lord Coe explained: "It was ostensibly an English team, there were a smattering of Welsh players but effectively, it was an English side.

"I thought I can't imagine any club that's going to release professional players to an Olympic team having a problem with their Under-23 players getting a six-week tutelage or masterclass from Alex Ferguson on the training ground." He also recounted how he didn't consult anyone before reaching out to Sir Bobby Charlton for help, adding: "I didn't speak to a soul about it but I rang up Bob Charlton. He said: 'I'll tell Alex to give you a call.'"

Ferguson eventually got in touch with Coe a few weeks later while he was shopping at Tesco in Surrey, England, with Coe explaining his proposition: "I did explain what my theory was because Bob hadn't actually told him. He'd just asked him to give me a call.

"So Alex rang and said: 'Oh, I thought you were looking for tickets'. I put him through the idea and he said: 'Well, I don't know.' Then there was a gap and then he went: 'Oh Jesus, I'm already picking the team in my head.'" The pair finally met