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What's the story?
Former Manchester United and West Brom player Michael Appleton revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson knew the names of the players' parents in a detailed interview.
In case you didn't know...
Sir Alex Ferguson needs no introduction. He is one of the most decorated managers in the history of the sport and enjoyed immense success in his 26 years with Manchester United. The Scot won plethora of trophies with the Red Devils, notably 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles. It was under his guidance that United became a major force in the world of football.
However, since Ferguson's retirement, United failed to replicate their style and form to dominate the Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the fourth permanent manager at the club since the Scot's retirement in 2013 and the Red Devils are yet to win the league title ever since.
Considering the current campaign, the Red Devils have a bleak chance to make it to the top four. They are currently at sixth spot in the league table, three points behind fourth placed Chelsea. United are without a win in their last four matches and has conceded 51 goals in the current English Premier League campaign.
The heart of the matter
Appleton reflected on his Manchester United days and revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson was really like as a manager.
Speaking in an interview, the former United player said:
"We trained at The Cliff, where Sir Alex (above) would appear pretty regularly, walking over from the main building to watch us train or play matches. He had a real interest in what was going on, across all the age groups."
"You’ve probably heard people say how great a memory he has, and it’s absolutely true. Not only does he know your strengths and weaknesses, but he never forgets a name. He’ll know the names of your mum and dad and how many brothers and sisters you’ve got – it’s incredible."
"That’s probably one of the things that makes him stand out from a lot of people. It shows how much respect he has for everyone."
"Of course, he could be intimidating when he wanted to be. But it helped that we had Eric Harrison coaching us at the time, because he was almost the clone of Sir Alex in the sense that he was very strict."
What's next?
Manchester United will face Huddersfield next in the EPL.
