Sir Alex Ferguson "stayed too long" as Man Utd told it'll take decade to catch up

Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United should take inspiration from Sir Alex Ferguson's ruthless decisions of the past and cut ties with Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.The former Liverpool defender has been critical of the Portuguese superstar following his sensational Red Devils return last summer, previously labelling the striker a "passenger".Despite netting 15 goals this season, Ronaldo has often drawn criticism over his inability to press and has been accused of refusing to sacrifice personal glory for the greater good of his team.The 37-year-old has reportedly grown disillusioned with the club in recent months and, amid speculation that his second Old Trafford stint could come to a swift end this summer, Carragher believes United would be better off without him.The Sky Sports pundit feels United should look to the past and the ruthless decisions of legendary former manager Ferguson as inspiration for how to solve the problems Ronaldo creates."No single player can ever be bigger than the club," Carragher wrote in his column for the Telegraph."And no-one knew that better than Sir Alex Ferguson who, in 2006, sold one of the Premier League most prolific goalscorers, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, because he felt the striker’s personal hunger for goals was inhibiting the progress of younger, emerging team-mates.Should Manchester United let Cristiano Ronaldo go in the summer? Have your say in the comment section"Who reaped the rewards? Ronaldo, who thrived after Van Nistelrooy’s exit."Just like Van Nistelrooy 16 years ago, Ronaldo’s goal sprees have the capacity to make anyone deemed critical look foolish."It does not alter the fact that the next United manager will face the same issues as Rangnick in trying to keep him

Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United, but he also had a few flops during his time.Although Ferguson had some of the greats in goal over his spell at United, for some reason every goalkeeper was prone to an iconic howler at Old Trafford, with Roy Carroll, Fabien Barthez and David De Gea amongst some of the shot-stoppers to embarrass themselves.One of the most famous incidents of all though, was when Massimo Taibi allowed Matt Le Tissier's shot to squeeze through his legs while his face planted into the ground, but by the time he picked himself up, the ball was in the net.Despite flopping at United, the goalkeeper who has just turned 52, claimed that it was his decision to leave United, and that Ferguson begged him to stay.Taibi joined United in 1999 for £4.5million after Peter Schmeichel left Old Trafford, but the Italian soon returned to his homeland the following year after making just four appearances for the first team.The goalkeeper revealed that it was a family issue causing him major issues, and that he had to return to Italy, but admitted that Ferguson was desperate to see him stay at the club. Unfortunately for Talibi, one of those four games included the howler against Southampton, but the Italian opened up about his time at United."Of course, it was 100% my decision to leave Manchester United.

Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson once named what is on his "fantastic" Spotify playlist. The former Red Devils manager was able to get a tune out of whatever players he had at his disposal during his time in the Old Trafford dugout.So it comes an no surprise that he is big into his music.Having been born in 1941, the 80-year-old's taste was influenced by some of the biggest names from the mid-20th century.And in an interview in 2012, Sir Alex revealed he still listened to the same songs decades on by using his very own iPod.He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I have Spotify, it’s fantastic.

Marcus Rashford has dismissed claims there is a dressing room divide at Manchester United created by Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports from German outlet Bild have alleged the likes of Rashford and England team-mate Harry Maguire are frustrated with a supposed clique that has been formed by Ronaldo since the superstar's arrival last summer.As United have struggled for form, there have been various reports of unrest behind the scenes, something that has now been rubbished on social media by a furious Rashford.Not content to sit back any longer, the 24-year-old leapt to the defence of his United team-mates, and Ronaldo, and called out journalist Christian Falk over the claims on Twitter.Rashford quote tweeted an article from Bild that read: "TRUE: The English Players like Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Co are irritated that Ronaldo wants to lead the dressing room with his own clique.

Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.And considering the Red Devils only have an FA Cup, a League Cup, and a Europa League title to show for their efforts, it is fair to say they have not quite hit the jackpot over the last decade.However, they did manage to strike gold when they signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for £47million in January 2020.The Portuguese ace has contributed a sensational 47 goals and 41 assists in 111 appearances for the Red Devils.And United seem to be committed to unearthing another diamond in Portugal, as they have reportedly kept the same transfer ‘spies’ in the attacking midfielder’s homeland.United reportedly have more scouts surveying the Primeira Liga in Portugal than any other club in the Premier League.And reports from Portuguese outlet O Jogo, via Sport Witness, claim United’s ‘spies’ were spotted in the stands during Porto’s tumultuous 2-2 home draw with Fernandes’ former side Sporting Lisbon.The Red Devils scouts, who were also reportedly joined by dozens of scouts from La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and Premier League clubs, bared witness to a fierce contest which saw four goals, and an almighty post-match brawl which resulted in four players being sent off.HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Bruno Fernandes Manchester United's best transfer in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era? Comment belowAs well as the fisticuffs, the Portuguese outlet believes United were watching the performance of Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha.January reports from Record linked the Portugal international with a move to Old Trafford, claiming he had ‘one foot out the door’ at Lisbon.While the defensive midfielder remained at the club after the January transfer window, Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim was

Manchester United fans have called for Harry Maguire to be dropped and have compared him to a famous club flop following another poor display. For the third time in three games, Ralf Rangnick’s side surrendered a 1-0 lead, as they drew 1-1 against Southampton at Old Trafford.

Manchester United icon Paul Scholes hit out at Bruno Fernandes after his poor performance in Saturday's disappointing 1-1 draw with Southampton. United once again spurned a first half lead, with Che Adams striking just after the break to cancel out Jadon Sancho's opener. It's been a nightmare week for United, who also dropped points against Burnley in the week.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes launched an almighty tirade against his former club following their 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday.The 47-year-old, who never seems to pull punches when it comes to United, slammed Ralf Rangnick's side for being "all over the place" and lacking any sort of centralised plan."I think that’s the feeling around the place. There’s a lack of interest now.

Manchester United’s frustrations were summed up by the home supporters pleading with the side to “attack” on 80 minutes against Southampton.Jadon Sancho opened the scoring for United at Old Trafford in the first half before Che Adams brought the Saints level just three minutes into the second half.With ten minutes remaining the game was still square but United did not convince the home support they were pushing hard enough for a goal.As a result their fans become audibly annoyed with the lack of application.One commented online: “Honestly, the foundations have now been set under Rangnick but there’s a need to rip the book up(!) and get us playing productively.“Bench out-of-form Ronaldo, go with youth up front and attack!”Another said: “Stretford end screaming "ATTACK ARRACK!" I have never seen this before.”One wrote: “Chants of 'attack, attack, attack" coming from the United fans, what's this the SuperBowl?.” Another took aim at Ralf Rangnick: “Attack, attack, attack” for the first time in the stadium today. First time since Mourinho.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes ahead of the early Premier League kick-off against Southampton.The former left-back was lurking around Old Trafford on Saturday morning as the Red Devils prepared to bounce back following their disappointing 1-1 draw to Burnley on Tuesday.Scholes arrived at the stadium ready to offer his insight on BT Sport as a pundit alongside Glenn Hoddle but was met by a scheming Evra outside the ground.The 40-year-old Frenchman was filmed hiding behind a team bus, waiting for his Scholes to pass before sneakily catching his former teammate off-guard from behind.Scholes, who eventually spotted him, embraced Evra as the two walked arm-in-arm and shared a joke.The official Manchester United account tweeted an initial clip, writing: “We see you @Evra,” before captioning the second clip in question: “As does Scholesy… eventually!”United fans at Old Trafford would no doubt wish their two former icons were back on the pitch following another poor result midweek.Do you think Man United would compete for the league if they had Scholes and Evra in their prime? Let us know in the comments section.The Red Devils went into the Southampton fixture knowing a win is vital to their hopes of achieving a top-four finish this season.Manager Ralf Rangnick, meanwhile, was positive on Friday ahead of the clash despite reports of a disgruntled dressing room.He said: “I can only tell you what I have experienced in the last few weeks.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Paul Pogba will help unlock Jadon Sancho's true potential after encouraging signs from the winger.

Sir Alex Ferguson was left fuming by Sven Goran Eriksson's decision to take an injured Wayne Rooney to the 2006 World Cup rather than let him recover with Manchester United.The legendary Scot often locked horns with international bosses who looked to call up his United stars when they might've been better off staying with the club due to injury concerns.The most infamous occasion came when England boss Sven looked to take a 20-year-old Rooney to the World Cup in Germany, with a precautionary CT scan on his foot going ahead on June 7.With Ferguson telling the England boss that he Rooney should not travel unless his is at 100% fitness, Sven ignored him and Rooney quickly paid the price in training.Speaking on Amazon Prime documentary, Rooney, England and United's record goalscorer admitted that he never considered staying behind in England.He said: "I remember thinking, it is my first World Cup, how can I not be there?"I need to do everything I can to be there. And I did, I was in oxygen chambers, I was back and forth seeing specialists."Was Sven right to take Rooney to the World Cup? Give us your thoughts in the comments sectionWith Sven saying: "Sir Alex did not want Rooney to go.

Manchester United players would "get a slap" if they mentioned the treble during their historic season.The Red Devils' 1998/99 campaign, which ended with Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League glory, is the greatest ever by an English football club.While rivals Man City won the domestic treble in the 2018/19 season, it doesn't come close to the achievement of Sir Alex Ferguson's side.United players would have been forgiven for getting excited about the prospect as season neared its conclusion.But Teddy Sheringham has revealed he and the rest of the squad daren't do that for fear of the response they'd get.During an interview with Genting Casino, the former striker was asked if captain Roy Keane would calm them down if they got over-excited. He replied: "I think actually, the manager was always like that, very straight-laced, very Scottish."He’d say, 'What you getting excited for?'."We had a captain that was very serious at that time, he didn’t have to say it, he might just look at you.Is the treble-winning team the best of all-time? Let us know in the comments section."Someone in the team could mentioned it after they’d scored a goal or when we we’re winning in the league, 'Oh, the treble'."'Don’t even say it.

Sir Alex Ferguson told Wayne Rooney to get out of his office after showdown talks about his Manchester United future in 2010. Rooney infamously revealed he wanted to leave Old Trafford as the club were not, in his opinion, matching his ambitions.

Wayne Rooney has admitted that he and his Manchester United team-mates “look terrible” in the iconic photo of them from the noughties. Rooney and his mates were likely unaware that an unremarkable snap of them walking down the street in Manchester would go on to become a viral classic on social media.You know the one.

Gary Neville has said that the only time Wayne Rooney let himself down, it hit his Manchester United teammates like a ton of bricks.

Manchester United failed to return to winning ways on Tuesday night as they were held to a stalemate by Burnley.

Sir Alex Ferguson was a disappointed spectator at Turf Moor on Tuesday evening as Manchester United were held to a draw by Burnley in the Premier League.The iconic former United boss, who led the club to 13 league titles between 1993 and 2013, was in the stands as the rain poured down in Lancashire.With Burnley hitting back through Jay Rodriguez after Paul Pogba's opener, the cameras focused on 80-year-old Ferguson after his former side had two goals ruled out.The Scot looked less than pleased with what he was seeing, with Ralf Rangnick admitting that his team need to improve if they are to secure Champions League qualification.He told MOTD: "I think we played a fantastic first half, couldn't have played any better. "We scored three goals, the second that was disallowed I cannot understand.

Veteran football manager Neil Warnock has described the hilarious encounter he had with Sir Alex Ferguson prior to a semi-final against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have wasted plenty of money over the last century, and it has revealed that they spent £908m on new signings.Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the Red Devils have struggled in all competitions and continually looked to the transfer market to try and bring in players to reignite the team.But a large bulk of their acquisitions have flopped at Old Trafford.Angel Di Maria (£67.5m), Anthony Martial (£54m) and Harry Maguire (£78m) are just a few names amongst a plethora of players who have massively underperformed since joining United.Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were purchased ahead of the start of the season for a combined total of £112.5m, and although neither have lit up the Premier League just yet, it is too early to completely judge either of the pair.According to CIES Football Observatory, the club have made the biggest loss on transfers in the past 10 years - £78m more than rivals Manchester City, who have trophies and a star-studded squad for their expenditure.United are currently sitting in fourth place in the Premier League and have been tipped by many to splash the cash again in the summer once a permanent manager is found. Current boss Ralf Rangnick went unbacked in the January transfer window, with the board keen to only buy players who are part of the plans of his successor.