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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has never been much of a believer in sentiment through the years. If he feels it is time for a player to end their Old Trafford career, then he will make that decision. He has made hard choices in the past but has done so for the greater good of the club and he told The Mirror, ‘You can’t get sentimental in this job. I love the players I’ve had. I’ve been very, very fortunate to have had great players. And I’ve been fortunate to have had players come through with me for a long, long time’.
The United boss had always shared a good relationship with ex-United player David Beckham when he was at the club, but in 2003, the boss felt it was time to move him on. He became worried about Beckham’s celebrity lifestyle which he felt had affected his form over the season. There was never anything personal about the decision, and the midfielder was still in the prime of his career but Sir Alex took the difficult decision to let him go. This was also the case with ex-United defender Jaap Stam who joined Lazio in 2001. The defender was still in the prime of his career, but was shown the door due to some off-field comments.
Ferguson later added, ‘At United, Giggs, Neville and Scholes. Even Phil Neville and Nicky Butt, guys who were the spirit of the club. They have remained part of what I see is Manchester United…But when I see something happening I have to act. In the case of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville I had to release them because I was getting to the stage where I was terrified of talking to them. Telling them they were not playing a game. And it wasn’t fair to them. They were good players. Players that played a big part in the resurrection of Manchester United, no doubt about that’. Whilst Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes have remained first-team regulars for the majority of their career, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt were sold to Everton and Newcastle repectively when they fell out of favour at Old Trafford. The latest news can be found at www.manutd.com.
Tags: David Beckham, Gary Neville, Jaap Stam, Man Utd, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Sir Alex Ferguson
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