ASHLEY YOUNG has revealed there were only two players at Manchester United who did not feel Sir Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer treatment.
Young played under Ferguson in his final two seasons at Old Trafford, including the Premier League winning campaign in 2012/13.
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The winger turned full-back who now plays for Everton was appearing on Sky Sports Monday Night Football when he made the revelation.
Asked about Ferguson’s man-management skills, he said: “He knew his teams, he knew how to deal with every player.
“Whether it was that they need the hairdryer or an arm round their shoulder.”
Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher asked: “What one did you need?”
Young, 38, replied: “Just an arm around my shoulder.
“I think there was two players that didn’t get the hairdryer.
“And that was me and Darren Fletcher, I think.
“There might have been other players previous to my time but at them times I knew I didn’t need telling what to do.
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“I just needed an arm around the shoulder to go ‘right son this is what you need to do,’ and that was it.”
Fletcher emerged from the club’s academy before going on to make 342 appearances for the Red Devils until 2015, when he left to join West Brom.
The now 40-year-old won five league titles under Ferguson, along with the Champions League, the FA Cup and three League Cups.
After retiring from the sport in 2020, Fletcher returned to Old Trafford and currently works as a technical director.
Although reports in March suggested he would soon be handed a new title by the club’s new Ineos shareholders, with his role being more of a first-team liaison rather than a director.
Meanwhile, Young stayed at Old Trafford until 2020 where he won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League before winning the Serie A title with Inter Milan in his first season in Italy.
He returned to England with former club Aston Villa in 2021 before joining Everton in summer 2023.
He has made 32 appearances in all competitions for Sean Dyche’s side this season.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
His appearance on Sky Sports came as Man Utd were embarrassed 4-0 by Crystal Palace, with Young labelling the performance as “shambolic”.
He said: “It’s shambolic. The way they’re set up is crazy. Players were not at the right level. Palace made it look like men against boys.”
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Klopp copied Fergie’s ‘biggest mistake’ and it’s derailed his final season, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
JURGEN KLOPP was genuinely surprised to hear it, on the January day when he announced his intention to quit Liverpool at the end of the season.
It was put to him that Sir Alex Ferguson had told his Manchester United players in the summer of 2001 that the coming season would be his last.
Ferguson later performed a U-turn and stayed at Old Trafford for another 11 years.
But the great Scot admitted that revealing his intentions had been the ‘biggest mistake I made’.
“I think a lot of them put their tools away,” said Ferguson, “They thought, ‘Oh, the manager’s leaving’.”
It was a part of English footballing history which Klopp knew nothing about and he raised his eyebrows when he was told about it.
Liverpool were top of the Premier League, having lost only a single domestic match all season – and that a controversial VAR-infested affair at Tottenham.
But their form has nosedived since, with dreams of a farewell quadruple long gone.
And Klopp may well now be reflecting on the wisdom of his announcement.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full.
Or check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.