Manchester United legends were left scratching their heads over one player’s seemingly special treatment from Sir Alex Ferguson during the Scot’s legendary tenure at Old Trafford. Ferguson oversaw a galaxy of world-class talent throughout his remarkable 27-year spell as United boss. The roll call features homegrown gems from the famed Class of ’92 including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers, alongside foreign superstars like Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo – with whom he developed an almost paternal bond.
Of course, Ferguson developed stronger relationships with certain players than others, notably legendary skipper Bryan Robson, who proved pivotal to United’s triumphs in the early 1990s. Robson rarely – if ever – experienced Ferguson’s notorious ‘hairdryer’ treatment, something that didn’t go unnoticed by his team-mates from that era.
During a TNT Sports interview last year, Ally McCoist pressed Sir Alex about whether he showed favouritism to particular players. McCoist enquired: “You clearly worked with far and away some of the best.
“Robbo, Cantona, [Carlos] Tevez, obviously Ronaldo. Just unbelievable talent. Did you treat them all the same, or within reason did you have to do things accordingly?”
Ferguson delivered a brilliant response: “Well, everybody thought Robbo was my son because he never got criticised!”
As McCoist burst into laughter, Ferguson continued: “I don’t really believe that [he never got criticised].
“But anyway, I think the most important thing for me as a manager is to be consistent. So the players, the staff, everybody recognises the man who comes in the door every morning.
“I had the same principles all the time, the same discipline code all the time, and the same attitude towards staff in particular all the time. I never changed. It made it easier for everybody to feel comfortable with that.”
Robson progressed through West Bromwich Albion’s youth system in 1975 before securing his transfer to Old Trafford in 1981, where he remained for 13 years, with eight of those seasons under Ferguson’s guidance.
Considered a complete box-to-box midfielder, he netted 92 goals across 416 appearances for the Red Devils, claiming two Premier League crowns, three FA Cups, two Charity Shields and a European Cup Winners’ Cup before departing for Middlesbrough in 1994.
Following his retirement as a player, Robson took charge of Boro, guiding the club to both domestic cup finals in 1997, though they suffered relegation from the Premier League in the same campaign.
The 68-year-old subsequently managed Bradford City, West Brom and Sheffield United before taking on a coaching role in Thailand.