Skysports.com looks at ten players to have fallen foul of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Skysports.com looks at ten players to have fallen foul of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson is unquestionably one of the greatest managers of all time with remarkable longevity and a quite staggering list of accomplishments.
Manchester United have largely dominated domestically since he took charge at Old Trafford in 1986 and have achieved success on the European stage, but it is not possible for somebody to go through nearly a quarter of a century without the occasional disagreement.
The relationship between a player and his boss can break down for a number of reasons and when this becomes public knowledge it is often magnified out of proportion.
Over the past few days it emerged that Wayne Rooney did not want to extend his contract with the Red Devils and would rather continue his career elsewhere, with Ferguson confirming the striker's intentions at a memorable press conference on Tuesday.
The manager insisted he could not understand the decision as there had not been an argument between the pair, and there was then an amazing U-turn with the announcement that Rooney has in fact agreed a new long-term deal.
While it looks like there may now be a happy ending to this particular soap opera, this has not always been the case with scenarios such as this in the past and the whole saga has brought to mind some of the other players to have fallen out with Ferguson over the years.
Paul McGrath
McGrath was a key player for United when Ferguson arrived at the club, with his tough tackling earning him the adulation of supporters and striking fear into the heart of opponents. Unfortunately he also liked his booze and the drink culture at Old Trafford was identified as a major problem when the new manager came in. McGrath gave an interview alongside Norman Whiteside before an FA Cup tie when both players appeared drunk and, although they were injured, it did not go down well with Ferguson. McGrath's involvement became limited as he also suffered with bad knees and he was eventually moved on to Aston Villa in 1989.
Norman Whiteside
The Northern Irishman joined McGrath out of the Old Trafford exit door in 1989 following his drunken television appearance, and never managed to get his career back on track at Everton before retiring at the age of 26. He also struggled with injuries but it was the lack of discipline that Ferguson could not tolerate and, according to reports, on one occasion during a club trip to Bahrain Whiteside and team-mate Bryan Robson were forced to walk three miles back to the hotel after being discovered in a bar.
Andrei Kanchelskis
The Russian winger produced a number of sparkling performances for the Red Devils during a four-year spell in the early 1990s before rumours surfaced of a fall-out with Ferguson. Kanchelskis became unhappy about not being played enough, even though the manager was resting him because of an ankle injury. They failed to patch up their differences sufficiently and Ferguson decided to listen to offers, with Kanchelskis going on to enjoy a successful stint with Everton.
Paul Ince
The midfielder made 278 appearances in six years and captained United to the Premier League title before parting with the club on bad terms. His relationship with Ferguson was always reported to be strained and the manager ended up calling him a 'big-time Charlie'. Frustrated that Ince was neglecting his defensive duties in a vital central role and with youngsters such as Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and David Beckham coming through, Ferguson accepted a bid from Inter Milan.
Jaap Stam
Stam had established himself as one of the finest defenders in Europe when he was sold to Lazio in 2001, and Ferguson has since admitted that selling the Dutchman was a mistake. The decision might not have come about had Stam not made some controversial comments in his autobiography, saying that Ferguson had tapped him up before his move from PSV Eindhoven to Old Trafford. There were also some unflattering remarks about other players and Laurent Blanc was signed up to replace him after Lazio lodged a big-money proposal.
Dwight Yorke
Yorke always played with a smile on his face, had a great goal record and was a key member of United's treble-winning campaign, but he managed to fall foul of Ferguson prior to being offloaded to Blackburn in 2002. It was his playboy lifestyle that annoyed the manager and he has confessed that he was subjected to the hairdryer treatment on more than a couple of occasions.
David Beckham
Dressing-room bust-ups can usually be kept under wraps but when Beckham emerged with stitches above an eye it became apparent that he was not on the best of terms with Ferguson. Their relationship had gradually turned tense due to the player's public profile and the manager snapped during an argument by kicking a boot at his face. They are now friends again but Ferguson decided in 2003 that it would be in everyone's best interests for Beckham to join the Galacticos of Real Madrid.
Roy Keane
With Ferguson in the dugout and Keane his midfield general on the pitch, United possessed two of the strongest characters in the game for many years. But Keane is not somebody to stay silent when he has a grievance to air and he lashed out about poor training facilities during a pre-season trip. Worse was to follow during an interview with MUTV as Keane criticised his team-mates following a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough. Ferguson was furious that his captain had broken ranks and, after stripping Keane of the armband, allowed him to join Celtic as soon as possible.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
For many years Van Nistelrooy appeared indispensable as the predatory goalscorer every club needs, but he endured a turbulent end to his United career before joining Real Madrid in 2006. Rumours of a rift surfaced when he began to get left out of the starting line-up on a regular basis and, after being dropped for the final game of the season against Charlton, he refused to sit on the substitutes' bench. Ferguson later confirmed that the Dutchman wanted to leave and he went on to show similarly prolific form during a four-year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlos Tevez
Tevez decided last summer that he did not want to sign with Manchester United on a permanent basis at the end of a two-year loan spell. His advisor Kia Joorabchian later revealed that Tevez left because he had not been given enough time to consider United's offer, with the Argentine admitting that he had not felt 'supported' since Dimitar Berbatov's arrival at Old Trafford a year earlier. Having found it difficult to take life on the substitutes' bench, Tevez risked the wrath of United fans by penning a long-term deal with fierce rivals Manchester City, where he has enjoyed a scintillating 12 months.
