Pep Guardiola on Manchester United: 'I could see myself coaching here one day'

Back in April, when David Moyes had just been sacked as Manchester United's manager, the club approached Pep Guardiola about the vacant position despite the fact that he was well into his first season at Bayern Munich.

Guardiola obviously snubbed the chance to move to Old Trafford, committing to his six-year contract at the Allianz Arena.

However, according to reports in a new book that chronicles his title-winning campaign at Bayern last season, the idea of Guardiola managing United is still very much a realistic possibility.

Written by Marti Perarnau, a journalist and close friend of the manager who had complete behind-the-scenes access to Guardiola last season, the book details a moment from the 2010-11 Champions League when the Catalan coach was watching Sir Alex Ferguson's side and expressed his desire to one day manage United.

The day after beating Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal, Guardiola and personal assistant Manuel Estiarte travelled to Manchester to watch their next opponents in action.

"It was 4 May 2011, and the pair sat together in the stands of Old Trafford watching Sir Alex Ferguson's team beat Schalke 4-1. Once again Pep had turned to his friend and said: 'I like this atmosphere. I could see myself coaching here one day.' Guardiola has always felt a deep admiration, almost veneration, for the legendary teams and players of Europe."

Earlier this year, Guardiola referred to United's absence form the Champions League as a "lesson for the big clubs" of becoming complacent.