Sir Alex Ferguson picked on me after a Man Utd game but nearly sacked me for my reaction – it’s my biggest regret
FORMER Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to kick him out of the club.
Schmeichel explained that he regretted his reaction to Fergie’s hairdryer treatment after it threatened his position at Man Utd.
Arguably one of Man Utd’s greatest ever goalkeeper’s Schmeichel has told how Fergie wanted to sack him after the pair had a huge run-in.
The heated row occurred on the back end of a 3-3 draw by Liverpool in 1994, after Man Utd had been 3-0 up at half-time.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Schmeichel explained: “Sir Alex Ferguson picked on me after a game.
“The second half was so bad, but I made a lot of saves and I felt like I kept the team in it. He blamed me for my goal kicks ending up with ‘Razor’ Ruddock every time, who was 80 yards away.
“I felt really heart done by for him picking on me. My head went and that was probably my biggest regret in football and I’m not repeating that.
Schmeichel revealed he only saved his Old Trafford career by apologising to his manager and team-mates.
The Dane added: “On a Monday morning, he called me into his office and said ‘I’m going to sack you. I can’t have a player doing this’.
“And I said that’s fine and apologised to him. He then called a meeting in the dressing room and went berserk. That was probably the worst I’ve ever seen him.”
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“He was so angry. He never done that in training before. He left and then I apologised to the team.
“My behaviour was so out of order. There are certain things you can do and certain things you can’t do.”
Schmeichel was an integral part of United’s winning machine during his eight years at the club between 1991 and 1999.
He won 15 major trophies, including five league titles with the Red Devils and finished on the ultimate high of a Champions League triumph to complete a historic Treble.
Schmeichel conceded that the exchanges between Ferguson and his senior stars would often be “brutal to watch”.
The 60-year-old had earlier revealed that Fergie wanted players to talk back at times and picked certain confrontations by “design”.
Schmeichel added: “What I learnt with him is that 95 per cent of everything he said was by design.
“He’d been thinking about it. I’m waiting for the opportunity to say that or this.
“So he would pick those moments and the good thing about that is once it happened, gone.”