Robin van Persie has revealed what Sir Alex Ferguson did after he found out two Manchester United players went out partying after losing to Manchester City.
During the 12/13 season, United were miles ahead of everybody else but after their 15-point lead was cut to 12 points on the back of a defeat against City, the manager was not happy when two of his players went out partying.
Former United striker Van Persie told SoFoot: “In my first season, we were 15 points ahead in the league, and we welcomed Manchester City to win the title.
“If we won this match, it was 18 points ahead, but we had lost. This still left us 12 points ahead, most managers would not have dramatised the situation. The boss, on the other hand, he went up in the turns. It was really hot.
“Two guys from the team were out after this loss. The day after the match, he had pictures of the two players posted in the dressing room during their night out. And he said to the whole team, ‘Ok guys if we don’t win the championship, know that it’s because of those two a**holes that chose to go out. Yeah, I have the names, but I really can’t give them. It was incredible, he had pasted lots of photos, we had limited the evening of the two players hour by hour: 2am, 3am, 4am, as if to emphasise the extent of their bulls**t.”
He continued: “He didn’t stop there, he warned us all: ‘Guys, listen well if we don’t win the championship, it’s because these two have decided to go out to have fun. From now on, if I see a player come out before the trophy is lifted, that player is out.’ He was ruthless. ‘I don’t care about who you are, how many trophies you’ve won so far.
“If you go out before the end of the season, you leave the team and I’ll sell you.’ After that speech, we went to train, and it was the two hardest workouts of my life. Twelve points ahead and that’s his reaction.”
Sir Alex Ferguson once explained how Sir Bobby Charlton’s backing when he was “vulnerable” played a crucial role during his early days at Manchester United.
United legend Charlton, who played 758 games and scored 249 goals during a trophy-laden 17 year spell at Old Trafford, sadly passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 86.
A statement from Charlton’s family read: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was surrounded by his family.
“His family would like to pass on their thanks to everyone who has contributed to his care and for the many people who have loved and supported him. We would request that the family’s privacy be respected at this time.”
Following his retirement, he would go on to serve United as their director for 39 years, and during this time, Charlton would oversee the unprecedented success of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson, who took over the reigns at United in 1986, would lift 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during a 26-and-a-half-year spell.
But the Scot struggled early on. In fact, Ferguson might not have lasted had it not been for Charlton.
“At United, especially in the early years, I found it very assuring to know that Bobby was on my side,” Ferguson said back in 2017.
“I never went out of my way to curry favour with him, but he had originally helped advise the board to sign me as a manager and I always felt he was in my corner.”
He added: “During bleak times he often said: ‘You’ll be all right. You’re doing the right thing’. In the months following our 5-1 [defeat] to Manchester City in September 1989 I was feeling a mite vulnerable and Bobby’s backing – particularly during this period – counted for a lot.
