Former Manchester United chief Peter Kenyon confessed Sir Alex Ferguson gave him the cold shoulder after his move to rivals Chelsea.
The ex-CEO swapped Old Trafford for Stamford Bridge in 2003. He spilled the beans about Fergie’s silent treatment alongside United legend Rio Ferdinand on the former defender’s ‘Rio Presents’ podcast.
Kenyon revealed his key role in pivotal United transfers like signing Ferdinand and Dwight Yorke, plus his efforts to persuade Sir Alex not to retire when he first considered it in 2002. But switching allegiance to Premier League foes Chelsea put a damper on their relationship.
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Kenyon also touched on Jose Mourinho‘s success at Chelsea in the interview. He said: “In his first year (Mourinho), we won the league.
“First time in 50 years, so he did league back-to-back and FA Cup. Alex didn’t speak to me during that period anyway, but that’s a different story.”
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Ferdinand lauded Mourinho’s “competitive energy and nature” and suggested that Kenyon would have eventually understood Ferguson’s stance, despite the initial sting.
Kenyon nodded in agreement, replying: “Yeah for sure, and you understand it’s what it is, because it’s just ‘win’, it’s a winning culture, and you’ve no time to spend time on people that are not with you.
“I mean, it’s brutal, it is brutal, but if you look at the great things he (Ferguson) did, as I said, he was the best man manager I’ve ever come across,” reports the Mirror.
Explaining Ferguson’s relentless push for victory, Kenyon added: “You lose the game on Saturday, a game you shouldn’t have lost, in his mind you shouldn’t have lost it. You’ve been there, you’ve been on the coach, you’ve been on the plane.
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“He takes you down to the depths [of negativity]. So, public, nothing to do with the boys. Privately, and all the best coaches are like this, ‘it’s your fault. You didn’t do this, you didn’t do that’, whatever.”
“So, the team’s down here now, and he will pick a point in that journey home or at training the next day where he can’t have you there, he’s got to have you ready for the game on Tuesday.
“Massive game against Milan or somebody, and he’ll change it like that. And he’ll take you from, ‘okay, you’re punished enough now for the result you didn’t get on Saturday, now you’ve got to be ready’.”