Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the reasoning behind his decision to sell Paul Ince to Inter Milan, a move that sparked threatening letters from Manchester United fans.
Ferguson on Ince's departure
Ince made 281 appearances for United between 1989 and 1995, winning two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Despite his contributions, Ferguson chose to sell the 52-cap England international for £7.5 million.
Speaking about the saga, Ferguson said: 'Paul was a tremendous footballer, there's no doubt about that. He had incredible ability, but I just had that feeling that he just got carried away a bit at the time.'
The threatening letters
The transfer sparked outrage among some fans, with a BBC interview revealing threatening letters Ferguson received. One read: 'Don't sell Incey to Inter – or you'll regret it', while another said: 'Every Red is disgusted with you'.
Ferguson added: 'He then got this offer from Inter Milan. I'm trying to weigh up one thing against the other. I'm looking at Paul Scholes and I said "should we?" Milan's offer went from £7m to £7.5m and I said "do it".'
The aftermath
Ince spent two seasons in Italy before controversially joining Liverpool. The decision proved right as it allowed United's Class of 92 – including Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville – to emerge.
Ferguson later called Ince a 'big-time Charlie' during his time at Anfield, a comment he now regrets. 'I regret saying that. That was a mistake. He's a good friend of mine. He used to come over and play snooker with me. He texted me not so long ago,' he said.
