Jose Mourinho was offered the chance to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013

Jose Mourinho was offered the opportunity to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager during a clandestine 2013 meeting in the back of a people carrier.

Sportsmail understands that United's executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward, flew to Madrid in a bid to persuade the Portuguese, then managing Real, to come to Manchester.

The April summit took place in a vehicle, complete with darkened windows, outside the Vicente Calderon, where Mourinho's Madrid were taking on their cross-city rivals Atletico.

However, Woodward was left disappointed when Mourinho informed him that he had told Chelsea he would be returning to Stamford Bridge instead.

As a result, United turned to David Moyes days later - with many subsequently believing the then Everton manager was handpicked by fellow Scot Ferguson.

That was not the case.

United had identified Mourinho as the man they wanted to replace the outgoing legend.

The view within Old Trafford was that the ex-Porto and Inter Milan man would ensure the club continued to challenge for trophies and that his personality was big enough to handle the task of following on from Ferguson's glittering era of success.

Mourinho was open to the idea and had prepared himself for life in Manchester as he came to the end of his spell in Spain.

However, the intervention of Chelsea and Roman Abramovich scuppered United's plans. Mourinho, 53, values loyalty highly and felt that by returning to west London he was doing the honourable thing.

With the chat in the people carrier unsuccessful, Moyes went on to endure a miserable time.

Hamstrung by a lack of activity in the transfer window and accusations of dallying over deals that were in place, the former Toffees boss was sacked after less than a year in charge with the club, reigning champions, in a comparatively lowly seventh place.

Following his departure, United turned to Louis van Gaal. But despite spending £250m on new faces the Dutchman's tenure also ended in failure.

He was shown the door in May following fourth and fifth-placed finishes and replaced by Mourinho, who found himself sacked despite leading Chelsea to a Premier League title while his suitors floundered.

Finally United, and Woodward, had their man.