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Imagine being invited to take a seat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. How would you react?

For photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: an ideal but soggy shooting position or a dry seat flanked by Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain Premier League accreditation, remarkable situations were par for the course. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

Following a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was as unpredictable as the conditions. Haroun recalls never seeing rain that severe. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were on the verge of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "Are you a bit wet?" before telling her to "Sit between Kiddo and myself." She passed the rest of the match there, though she admitted she'd rather be behind the goal for superior shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who missed the decisive kick, was seen crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential back-page photograph.

With her flash ready, she knew Ferguson would be furious. True to form, the manager looked at her and warned, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

'I Was Picked On Because I'm a Woman'

Regardless of her deep family connections to Manchester United—including relatives having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She found it tough to be taken seriously and felt she was often "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." This came to a head with an incident at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble broke out.

"It was me that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she stated.

Remembering the Wright Way

Being close to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by missiles thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The hazard wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times left her dazed. After one such incident, Bryan Robson allegedly quipped, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be helpful. Before an Arsenal match, she asked iconic striker Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He did find the net, but at first ran the wrong way.

To her relief, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known cat lover. Her collection of seven cats once grew thanks to an unexpected call from a long-serving staff member at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an stray cat, Haroun was reluctant—she was caring for 23 at the time. But, a familiar Scottish voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

Following Sir Alex Ferguson's command, she adopted the cat and christened her Carrington.