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LONDON. — Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson launched his new autobiography yesterday, lifting the lid on his relationships with stars such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney. Ferguson said Beckham became too obsessed with fame in the latter years of his Old Trafford career and reiterated his claim that Rooney asked to leave the club at the end of last season.
He confirmed that Keane, his long-serving captain, was asked to leave the club after lashing out at several of his younger team-mates in an interview with in-house television channel MUTV that was never broadcast.
He also revealed that he was twice offered the England manager’s job, in 1999 and 2001, but turned it down.
“There was no way I could contemplate that. It wasn’t a bed of nails I was ever tempted to lie on,” he said in “My Autobiography”.
Ferguson (71) stepped down as United manager in May after a record-breaking 26-and-a-half-year tenure in which he won 13 English Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
The Scot developed a reputation for imposing unyielding discipline on the players in his squad and he was particularly forthright about several of the superstars he worked with.
He described Beckham as “the only player I managed who chose to be famous, who made it his mission to be known outside the game”.
Ferguson said he decided to sell Beckham to Real Madrid after an incident following an FA Cup loss at home to Arsenal in February 2003 when he accidentally kicked a boot into the midfielder’s face during a post-match argument.
“The next day the story was in the press. In public an Alice band (worn by Beckham) highlighted the damage inflicted by the boot,” Ferguson said.
“It was in those days that I told the board David had to go. The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go. That was the death knell for him.”
Expanding on the story at a press conference in central London to mark the launch of the book, Ferguson said that Beckham’s focus shifted after he married the pop star Victoria Adams in 1999.
“The big problem for me is that he fell in love with Victoria. That changed everything,” he said.
Ferguson said that his relationship with Keane broke down irretrievably after the Irishman “slaughtered” players including Kieran Richardson, John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand in an MUTV interview in 2005.
Ferguson recalled an exchange with his assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz: “’He needs to go, Carlos,’ I said. ‘One hundred percent,’ he said. ‘Get rid of him,’ I said.”
Ferguson described Ronaldo, who left United for Madrid in 2009, as “the most gifted player I managed” and said watching him play for the first time was “the biggest surge of excitement . . . I experienced in football management”.
The Scot disclosed the contents of the conversations he had with Rooney on the two occasions he asked to leave the club, in 2010 and in May this year.
On the first occasion, Ferguson said Rooney was worried about United’s ambition and urged him to sign Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil, who went on to join Arsenal in a club-record transfer last month.
“Wayne said that we should have pursued Mesut Ozil, who had joined Real Madrid from Werder Bremen,” Ferguson said.
“My reply was that it was none of his business who we should have gone for. I told him it was his job to play and perform.”
Ferguson said Rooney “seemed to tire in games” during his last campaign and claims the former Everton striker asked to be allowed to leave.
“He came into my office the day after we won the league and asked away,” Ferguson said.
“He wasn’t happy with being left out for some games and subbed in others.”
At the press conference, Ferguson reiterated his support for his successor, David Moyes, who has overseen United’s worst start to a league season since 1989.
“You know something? Manchester United are the only club in that league that can win the league by coming from behind, believe me,” he said.
“Once they get the ball rolling, they’ll be fine. David Moyes is in a great position. There’s a great support system.”
The book, which follows Ferguson’s previous 1999 autobiography, “Managing My Life”, goes on general sale tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Moyes has no concerns about the impact revelations contained in Ferguson’s autobiography could have on Rooney and the rest of the club, he said yesterday.
Ferguson, whose retirement as United manager at the end of last season following a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford, launched his long-awaited book yesterday.
In it he revisits his fall-out with Rooney last season when he claimed the England forward requested to leave the club in a private meeting.
The cooling of relations between the two men led to a pre-season of transfer speculation surrounding the striker before the deadline passed.
Rooney (27) has since gone on to impress this term but fears circulated in recent weeks that Ferguson’s book could anger the player again and give Moyes further headaches about his future.
But Moyes said he welcomed anything his illustrious predecessor had to say.
And when asked if he had concerns about any Rooney-related headlines, he replied: “None.”
The former Everton manager, who gave Rooney his start in professional football when both men were at the Merseyside club, added: “Wayne is completely focused on his football.
“I’ve got no problems with anything. Wayne is looking after himself and playing well.
“Alex Ferguson can do what he wishes — he is his own man. We would love to hear what he has got to say and I’m sure the supporters will want to hear,” Moyes said of his fellow Scot.
“He has a lot of great knowledge and I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy reading the book.”
Moyes’s men face Real Sociedad in the Champions League tonight and the manager said he still faced injury problems, with central defenders Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, as well as Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, all missing training yesterday.
Vidic, Ferdinand and Cleverley all missed last weekend’s disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Southampton.
“We have got one or two knocks or niggles,” said Moyes. “Vidic and Rio are making good progress.
“Danny Welbeck had a little bit of an injury from the game against Southampton so we will have to check.
“Tom Cleverley is not as bad as we thought so those two could play.”
On Monday, reports emerged from France that Patrice Evra may not sign a new contract at United because of “personal reasons”, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.
However, Moyes said of Evra’s remarks: “I think they have been misinterpreted.
“I have not spoken to Pat about it. I have just seen that today (yesterday). I don’t know how you in France think about Pat but I know in Manchester we think very highly about him.
“He is an excellent player, fantastic in the dressing room and I can only say good things about him.”
Javier Hernandez has struggled to get first-team action so far this season but Moyes also denied he too would leave the English champions during the January transfer window.
“It is not a question for now. He will play a lot of games before the end of the season,” said Moyes.
United have endured their worst start to an English Premier League season and sit eight points off leaders Arsenal.
And United defender Jonny Evans said they needed to improve on their performance against Southampton come the Sociedad match.
“I think we are disappointed, we have watched parts of the game against Southampton back and our performance level wasn’t up to scratch,” the Northern Irishman said.
“Especially in possession we are giving the ball away quite sloppily. We want to control games. We allowed Southampton to control the game a bit better than we did.
“I think the onus is on the players to step up. We have to look at ourselves and raise our performances,” Evans added. — AFP.
Online Reporter