Sir Alex Ferguson phoned an in-demand striker to persuade him to join Manchester United but the player made the bold decision to decline the Scot’s offer

Arsenal hero Alan Smith once turned down Sir Alex Ferguson’s transfer approach in a phone call before making his move to the Gunners.

Smith played for Leicester City between 1982 and 1987, where he scored 84 goals. His outstanding performances caught Ferguson’s attention, with the Scot having been at Old Trafford for just a few months when he made contact with the striker.

Much to Smith’s surprise, he received a sudden telephone call from the Manchester United boss in early 1987. But the ex-England forward, who recalls watching Coronation Street at his parents’ house when his mum answered the phone, snubbed the offer in favour of George Graham’s Arsenal.

Speaking to ex-Arsenal team-mate David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, he revealed: “I spoke to Alex Ferguson. I was getting a bit of interest. One January evening, I was living with my mum and dad still and we were watching Coronation Street, I’ll always remember it.

“The phone goes in the hall and my mum picks it up and she says, ‘Alan, it’s Alex Ferguson on the phone for you.’ I thought she misheard the name.

“Alex had only been at United for about a year and they were struggling. So it’s not like it was ‘the Sir Alex’ calling but he was obviously a big name, he’s the Man United manager.