‘Everything I did at Man Utd wound up Sir Alex – we did not see eye to eye’
Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe has revealed that he and Sir Alex Ferguson had quite a turbulent relationship at Old Trafford
The ex-England international, who joined United at the age of 17 from Torquay United in 1988, enjoyed a trophy-laden time at the club under the fiery Scotsman. During their professional success, Sharpe told the BBC that Ferguson took a fatherly approach with him.
After an illustrious eight-year tenure at Old Trafford, which saw Sharpe clinch three Premier League titles and two FA Cups, he made a switch to Leeds United in 1996. Speaking to the the Express, via William Hill, Halesowen-born Sharpe reflected on how his rapport with Ferguson altered post-United.
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“It changed from me no longer being at Manchester United,” Sharpe disclosed, delving into the evolution of their relationship throughout his time at the club.
Ferguson’s confrontational style extended beyond the pitch, as Sharpe recounted: “He was very aggressive about things that were going on, on the pitch and off the pitch. Every micro part of my game on and off the pitch he had a go at. So, ultimately, we just didn’t see eye to eye in anything I don’t think.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
Sharpe has not shied away from discussing Ferguson’s intense nature in the past, particularly off the field. He once claimed that after a subpar performance against Liverpool, Ferguson demanded he sell his house, dog, and car, coming shortly after moving in with his girlfriend at 18 years of age, a move initially approved by Ferguson.
“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’,” Sharpe recounted last month. “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.”
(Image: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
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Sharpe also revealed a missed opportunity during his tenure at United, where he was oblivious to interest from Barcelona, something he only discovered through a conversation with former team-mate Jordi Cruyff, son of then-Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff. “It’s up to him to let me know,” Sharpe expressed.
“I didn’t know they were interested. It was Jordi Cruyff who told me and then since moving to Spain I have had other people tell me it was all over the press here so, it was on public over here, so maybe it was the wrong decision to go there anyway, but I would have liked to know about it, that’s for sure.”
