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Imagine being invited to take a seat beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a pivotal European match. What would you do?

For photographer Magi Haroun, this became a reality on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely choice: an ideal yet wet shooting position or a dry seat between Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain Premier League accreditation, unusual situations were all in a day's work. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun recalls witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was drenched, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "You must be a bit wet?" before instructing 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 better shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the decisive kick, was seen crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect back-page image.

Preparing her flash, she knew Ferguson would be furious. As expected, the manager looked at her and declared, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Despite her long-standing family connections to Manchester United—including family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She found it tough to be taken seriously and felt she was frequently "singled out" by security and police as the "easiest target." The discrimination even led to an arrest at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble broke out.

"It was me that got arrested because they saw me as the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity to the action came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "rendered unconscious" by missiles thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The danger wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also left her dazed. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson reportedly joked, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she told iconic striker Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He scored, but at first ran the wrong way.

Fortunately, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "perfect picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a dedicated cat lover. Her family of multiple cats on one occasion grew thanks to an surprise call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an stray cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. However, a recognisable Scottish voice took the phone and ordered her: "Magi, take the cat!"

Following Sir Alex Ferguson's directive, she took in the cat and named her Carrington.