Louis Sealey
Published January 30, 2026 10:23pm
Updated January 30, 2026 10:23pm
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Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (Picture: Getty)
Lee Sharpe has revealed the lengths Sir Alex Ferguson went to in order to keep his Manchester United players in check.
Having won more trophies than any other manager in history, Ferguson is widely regarded as one of greatest 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 in charge of 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 in 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 was 12, and that was the plan.
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Ex-Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe (Picture: Getty)
‘But he said if my form suffered, I’d be going to go back into digs. I was like, “Yeah, yeah, that’s not a problem.” And then my form started to suffer.
‘At Anfield, of all places, he decided to try to change our formation to match up with Liverpool and play three at the back and five in midfield.
‘Me and Ryan Giggs were running around in circles not knowing who to mark. The game was passing us by. At half-time, he said, in not so many words, “You are absolutely useless.”
Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
‘Ferguson said, “Tomorrow, you’re going to sell your house, sell your dog, sell your car. You send your girlfriend back to Birmingham, you’re back in digs.
‘Obviously, I didn’t play great, came off with about 20 minutes to go, went home, told my girlfriend she had to go home. That was the end of that.
‘Then every week he would come up to me in training and ask, “Are you married yet?” I’m like, “Married? You sent my girlfriend home!”‘
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Ferguson remained a key figure at Manchester United following his retirement in 2013, working as a global ambassador until 2025.
The 84-year-old was not consulted after United sacked Ruben Amorim but the club did appoint his preferred candidate for the caretaker job, Michael Carrick.
Carrick’s tenure was only expected to last until the end of the season but he has boosted his chances of getting the permanent gig by beating Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games in charge.
Manchester United, now back in the Champions League places, face Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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