HAVING been one of the few players to rebuff Sir Alex Ferguson's advances on two separate occasions, Paolo Di Canio has expressed regret that he will not get the chance to lock horns with the Manchester United boss on the touchline.

Ferguson's shock decision to stand down at the end of the season has robbed Di Canio of the opportunity to line up against a manager he regards as one of the greatest of all time, and prompted the Sunderland boss to recall the times when he was forced to turn down a move to Old Trafford.

When Di Canio was skippering West Ham, Ferguson personally called him on successive Christmas Days in an attempt to persuade him to sign for Manchester United.

Di Canio refused out of loyalty to the Hammers, and Ferguson has previously described his failure to pull off a deal as one of the three biggest regrets from his time at Old Trafford.

“He called me two Christmas Days in a row and I thought it was my friend having a joke,” said Di Canio. “I said, 'F*** off', but he said, 'Paolo, this is Alex'. I said, 'Alex who?'

“It was incredible that he was thinking about me because I was 31. He wanted me to play behind the strikers because (Teddy) Sheringham was nearly 40 and ready to quit.

“I thought it was mad he wanted me, but I said, 'I can't trade'. I came to West Ham after an 11-match ban with Sheffield Wednesday and the reception was brilliant. I was captain for three-and-a-half years and I could not move.

“I didn't really understand the first few words when we were talking, but it was a fantastic moment and it gave me more energy because he was an important manager and he thought I was a top footballer.”

Di Canio insists he has no regrets about spurning Ferguson's advances, but having only made his top-flight managerial debut last month, the Italian is disappointed he will not get the chance to pit his wits against the veteran Scot.

Like so many of his peers, Di Canio regards Ferguson as an all-time great, and he cites an episode from the 71-year-old's early days at Aberdeen as proof of what made him so successful.

“If there is one thing that sums him up, it is when he won the Cup Winners' Cup with Aberdeen (in 1983),” said Di Canio. “Ten days later, he won the Scottish Cup against Rangers. Someone asked him after the game how he felt, and he had a dark, angry face. He said it was a rubbish performance.

“This is the kind of man who can become a top manager, and this is why he won what he won. Two cups in ten days, and he was still angry with his players.

“One of the regrets of my career will be that my enemy in the dug-out will not be the Professor, the Football God. That would be great for me, so I am very sad that will not happen.”

Di Canio's most recent meeting with Ferguson came in the wake of Manchester United's Champions League semi-final against Arsenal in 2009, and the Sunderland boss could not believe that his managerial idol made a point of getting off the team coach to meet him.

“I had been a commentator on Italian TV and I went down to the car park where the two coaches were,” he said. “I saw Michael Carrick and said, 'Well done', but he (Ferguson) was already on the coach.

“I remember that he saw me and went all the way down the coach and out into the car park. He shouted 'Paolo, Paolo', and came to see me and said, 'How are you?' It was another incredible moment for me.

“He meets thousands of people, so for him to take the time to ask how I was gave me another dimension of the man. It spoke volumes for his values and the respect he has for people.”