Wayne Rooney has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson once refused to speak to his Manchester United players for two weeks on the back of a disappointing defeat.
The former Red Devils boss, who was in charge of the club for 27 years between 1986 and 2013, was known for setting high standards and his man management skills in a period that bought him and the club so much success.
In his tenure, United won 38 major trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League and five FA Cups. They have not won the Premier League again since his retirement.
The Scot did, though, also have a plethora of top players at his disposal throughout different eras of his tenue, be that Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Another one of his star names, meanwhile, Rooney, has given an insight into his behaviour when United lost a costly match against Portsmouth in 2008. It was an FA Cup quarter-final, and meant the missed out on winning the Treble after success in the Premier League and Champions League.
And Sir Alex didn’t take it well. Speaking on the BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United captain explained how the squad received the cold shoulder from the boss in the fallout.’
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There were times… when we played Portsmouth in the FA Cup quarter-final,’ Ferdinand began. ‘Tomasz Kuszczak got sent off and Rio went in goal.
‘We lost 1-0 at Old Trafford and it was the year we won the league and the Champions League. I think it was Middlesbrough and Cardiff in the semi-final and final for the Treble. Sir Alex Ferguson, for two weeks, he didn’t speak to us.
Host Kelly Somers pushed Rooney further, questioning how Ferguson would go about doing his job without speaking to his players.
‘We had games,’ Rooney continued. ‘He picked the team the day of the game.
‘You walked past him in the corridor and he wouldn’t look at you. Two weeks, because he knew that was a massive opportunity to win the Treble.
‘We just tried to stay away from him. If you saw him come down the corridor he’s go the other way.’
