Andy Mangan on his near move to Real Madrid as the World Cup beckons

Former Shrewsbury Town forward Andy Mangan is set for a remarkable role at the World Cup with Brazil - and has opened up on his near dream move to Real Madrid.

In an interview with The Times, Mangan revealed how a friendship with Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo, helped shape his coaching journey, as he prepares to travel to this summer’s tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Mangan enjoyed two spells at Salop, making 59 league appearances. After retiring, it was during his UEFA Pro Licence course in Newport, Wales, that he met Davide Ancelotti and the pair became close.

- You can find the full interview by The Times here

That connection led to an incredible opportunity in 2018, when Mangan agreed a deal to join Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. However, the move collapsed due to a work permit issue.

“Devastated,” Mangan told The Times. “But my kids look at their dad, and what were they going to see? You’ve got two options, you can cry - which I’m not about - or you jump back on the horse.

“So I was back into Stockport, bang, demanding more, working to take all the stuff I’ve seen from all these coaches and develop my own coaching game. We got to the play-offs, should have gone up…and then Davide phoned and said, ‘Do you want to go to Brazil?’ ”

After a spell in interim charge at Bristol Rovers following Joey Barton’s departure, Mangan worked as a first-team coach at Stockport County.

In July last year, he was appointed assistant manager at Brazilian club Botafogo, working alongside Davide. The pair impressed, finishing sixth and securing a place in the Copa Libertadores preliminary rounds, while going unbeaten in their final 10 matches.

Now, the former Salop striker is set to be part of Brazil’s set-up at the World Cup, working as an opposition analyst under Carlo Ancelotti, with Davide as assistant.

Mangan was at Wembley last week scouting England, who Brazil could face in the quarter-finals.

In his first spell at Shrewsbury, after joining in the summer of 2014, Mangan scored as Town knocked Premier League Leicester City out of the League Cup. They went on to reach the fourth round, where they faced Chelsea.

Mangan memorably equalised late on to make it 1-1, before Chelsea regained the lead to break Salop hearts.

Despite that, it proved a memorable season as he helped Micky Mellon’s side secure promotion to League One. He later returned to the club in 2016 after a spell at Tranmere Rovers.