Ashley Young: Ferguson had a special aura, I am still afraid of him today

Ashley Young recalled his experience with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, including training competition and management.

Talking about Ferguson

Young said Ferguson did not care who a player was and would criticize directly; the winning mentality spread through the dressing room.

He recalled Ferguson telling him after signing that he had to become either a winner or a loser at United.

Ferguson said players with a winning mentality would succeed, making Young feel he had to win.

Ferguson addressed problems directly, and dressing-room conflicts were real.

Ferguson usually did not involve himself heavily in training but could watch from his office.

When he appeared at training, players felt his presence.

Young said Ferguson was extremely direct when criticizing players.

Really?

Young confirmed Ferguson would speak directly, while players also reminded each other.

If someone lacked effort, teammates would tell him to improve.

After training, everyone returned to being friends.

He was asked what caused such conflicts.

Young said many things could cause them, including poor effort or small-game situations.

A tackle could also trigger a conflict.

Sometimes players exchanged punches, but teammates separated them or they solved it themselves.

What would Sir Alex Ferguson do?

He would not say...

Would he not do much?

Ferguson observed because he knew players needed aggression and a winning mentality.

Everyone wanted to win, and teammates made sure each other knew when they lost.

Young said training could feel like fighting, but it came from the desire to succeed.

Many training grounds in that era had similar environments.

He remembered Ferguson saying seeing players fight showed championship desire.

The manager saw competition among players as a sign of motivation.

Training conflicts did not necessarily mean the team had problems.

Outside observers often saw training fights as signs of trouble.

Young said under Ferguson it represented a winning mentality.

The team recorded training results, and young players rarely beat senior players.

The winning mentality spread through the dressing room; nobody wanted to lose.

Ferguson knew every player and had exceptional man-management ability.

He especially had to keep players without game time positive.

Ferguson encouraged players who would be needed later to stay ready.

His office door was always open for football or personal discussions.

That is why Young still keeps in contact with Ferguson today.

You are still afraid of him?

Young said Ferguson had a special aura.

He recalled asking his wife to pull over before answering Ferguson's call.

He drank water before answering because Ferguson's presence was powerful.

He believed every former Ferguson player would say the same.

He first met Ferguson at a London hotel before signing.

He thought meeting the manager was incredible because he was still young.

He entered the room nervous and sat with his agent.

After football talk, his agent and Ferguson discussed wine and horses while he watched in awe.

After meeting Ferguson, he knew Manchester United was where he wanted to play.