Lee Sharpe has revealed the lengths Sir Alex Ferguson went to so as to keep his Manchester United players in check.
Having won more trophies than every other manager in history, Ferguson is widely considered certainly one of best managers of all time.
During his remarkable 26-year reign at Old Trafford, Ferguson led Manchester United to 13 Premier League trophies, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues titles.
Ferguson ruled with an iron fist during his time answerable for the Red Devils and Sharpe has revealed the extent of control he had over the squad.
Sharpe enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Old Trafford, playing over 250 games for the club and lifting seven major trophies, but faced Fergie’s wrath after a poor performance away at Liverpool.
Speaking on the Sacked within the Morning podcast Sharpe, now 54, said ‘From top to bottom, he ran the club.
‘He said he’d allow it [moving in with his girlfriend] and asked if we were getting married. We’d been going out since I used to be 12, and that was the plan.
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‘But he said if my form suffered, I’d be going to return into digs. I used to be like, “Yeah, yeah, that’s not an issue.” After which my form began to suffer.
‘At Anfield, of all places, he decided to try to vary our formation to match up with Liverpool and play three on the back and five in midfield.
‘Me and Ryan Giggs were running around in circles not knowing who to mark. The sport was passing us by. At half-time, he said, in not so many words, “You’re absolutely useless.”
‘Ferguson said, “Tomorrow, you’re going to sell your home, sell your dog, sell your automobile. You send your girlfriend back to Birmingham, you’re back in digs.
‘Obviously, I didn’t play great, got here off with about 20 minutes to go, went home, told my girlfriend she needed to go home. That was the tip of that.
‘Then every week he would come as much as me in training and ask, “Are you married yet?” I’m like, “Married? You sent my girlfriend home!”‘
Ferguson remained a key figure at Manchester United following his retirement in 2013, working as a world ambassador until 2025.
The 84-year-old was not consulted after United sacked Ruben Amorim however the club did appoint his preferred candidate for the caretaker job, Michael Carrick.
Carrick’s tenure was only expected to last until the tip of the season but he has boosted his probabilities of getting the everlasting gig by beating Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games in charge.
Manchester United, now back within the Champions League places, face Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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