Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted at the origins of one of his most famous hard-line stances at Manchester United after opening up on a memory from his time at Aberdeen.
The former Manchester United manager made a name for himself in Scotland before he arrived at Old Trafford in 1986 and replaced ex-Red Devils boss Ron Atkinson.
Sir Alex Ferguson lifted a Scottish First Division title with St Mirren before he signed for Aberdeen in 1978, with the United legend enjoying incredible success at the club.
During his time at the Pittodrie Stadium, the 82-year-old Scotsman led Aberdeen to three Scottish Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup.
However, the crowning achievement for Ferguson at Aberdeen came in 1983 after the Scottish club beat Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Ferguson’s exploits in Scotland caught the eye of former United chairman Martin Edwards, who brought the iconic Scot to Old Trafford after his success at Aberdeen.
Ferguson basked in an incredibly successful period at Old Trafford, including leading United to 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League.
But the ex-Aberdeen and United boss was well known for his no-nonsense approach at Old Trafford, with Ferguson ensuring that his authority was upheld at the club.
Man Utd legend Ferguson recalls Aberdeen moment
During his time at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t afraid to deliver one of his famous ‘hairdryer treatments’ and take players to task over their performances.
Rio Ferdinand also opened up about Ferguson’s rule at Old Trafford, saying that he would only summon Manchester United players to his office for one of two reasons.
Ferguson sat down for an interview with Eintracht Frankfurt’s media team after the Bundesliga outfit presented him with a lifelong membership to the German club.
The United legend had played against Eintracht Frankfurt as a player and crossed paths with the Bundesliga side when he was in the Aberdeen dugout.
Ferguson was in charge of Aberdeen when the Scottish side secured a 1-1 draw against Frankfurt in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1979.
However, the return leg in the UEFA Cup saw the former Aberdeen boss suffer a 1-0 defeat at the Waldstadion, with Bernd Holzenbein scoring the winner for Frankfurt.
Ferguson revealed that some of his players went out clubbing after the match and the United legend vowed that “such a thing never happened again.”
Speaking to Frankfurt’s media team, he said: “That’s right. I had just joined Aberdeen for my first season in the European Cup as a coach. (NB – he had been at Aberdeen for 2 seasons and had played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup the previous season as well.)
“Frankfurt was the better team, but we rescued the game with an equaliser. We had the chance to travel to Frankfurt, where we lost 1-0. Bernd Holzenbein scored the goal in the second match to knock us out. It was a great lesson for me to go abroad.
“Some players went out clubbing after the game. Afterward[s], I made sure that such a thing never happened again.”
Ferguson’s brutal stance on clubbing at Man Utd
Ferguson would pull no punches towards his former United players if he had learned they had been on a night out during his legendary reign at Old Trafford.
Former United striker Robin van Persie recalled one occasion where Ferguson was “ruthless” after two players went out after a defeat to Manchester City.
“In my first season, we were 15 points ahead in the league, and we welcomed Manchester City to win the title,” he told So Foot in 2020.
“If we won this match, it was 18 points ahead, but we had lost. This still left us 12 points ahead, most managers would not have dramatised the situation. The boss, on the other hand, he went up in the turns. It was really hot.
“Two guys from the team were out after this loss. The day after the match, he had pictures of the two players posted in the dressing room during their night out. And he said to the whole team, ‘Ok, guys, if we don’t win the championship, know that it’s because of those two a**holes that chose to go out. Yeah, I have the names, but I really can’t give them.
“It was incredible, he had pasted lots of photos, we had limited the evening of the two players hour by hour: 2am, 3am, 4am, as if to emphasise the extent of their bulls**t.
“He didn’t stop there, he warned us all: ‘Guys, listen well, if we don’t win the championship, it’s because these two have decided to go out to have fun. From now on, if I see a player come out before the trophy is lifted, that player is out.’
“He was ruthless. ‘I don’t care about who you are, how many trophies you’ve won so far. If you go out before the end of the season, you leave the team and I’ll sell you.’ After that speech, we went to train, and it was the two hardest workouts of my life. Twelve points ahead and that’s his reaction.”