Danny Drinkwater has revealed he didn’t like the way Sir Alex Ferguson dealt with players’ contract negotiations at Manchester United.
The former Leicester City and Chelsea midfielder began his career at United, spending 13 years in the club’s youth ranks. Drinkwater didn’t make a single first-team appearance before leaving the Reds for Leicester in 2012, where he clinched a Premier League title four years later.
But, before leaving, he still had to endure one of the toughest things in football - a contract negotiation with at-the-time legendary United boss Sir Alex. A young Drinkwater, who was playing in the reserves, asked club captain Gary Neville twice to negotiate a new contract with the manager on his behalf.
Ferguson's Scolding
Having been left dissatisfied with the outcome, he then had the temerity to sit down with Ferguson himself, which he quickly regretted as the Scot dished out one of his famous scoldings.
When asked by The Athletic if there was anything he didn’t like about Sir Alex, Drinkwater revealed: “I didn’t like the way he negotiated contracts. That’s the only thing.
“I must have been 18 and it was like my first or second professional contract. I’ve gone in to talk about how it’s not fair and he’s just shut me down. I was like, ‘It’s absolutely fine. You’re the God.’”
Neville's Support
He added: “Gaz (Gary Neville) had already been in twice for me. He got it increased - we’re talking around five grand a month. He’s gone in and got a slightly better deal, and then I told him, ‘Oh, I don’t feel it’s fair Gaz.’
“He’s gone back in, come out and nothing’s happened. As a kid, I don’t know if it was greed or if I was curious but I just wanted him to try again.
“I was thinking, ‘How is this fair?’ and even Gazza was like, ‘F***ing hell Drinks, you’re playing reserve football. What do you expect?’
“So I went in to see the gaffer myself and he’s just hammered me. I was like, ‘Yeah, alright. Sweet’. Looking back now it was great experience but at the time I was nervous for that.”
Agents and Advice
He added: “I knew he [Ferguson] hated agents. As a kid, do you need an agent? I don’t know. I was with my first agent when I was 15. I had a two-year agency deal with him.
“But as a kid, I don’t think I really needed one. I didn’t really want to give with an agent after that contract ended. And I think that was the period I asked Gaz Neville to go in as a great figure in the club.
“I don’t want to say backed me up because I didn’t have anything about me whatsoever but I fine-tuned it at the last minute.
“He did that for quite a lot of players. He was top around the club, brilliant. He did that on one deal, twice.”
