Ferguson: I make players believe that they are working class
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Alex Ferguson's latest Manchester United starlets set to rule the Premier League
Here's how Fergie's young dream team lines up in a 4-3-3 formation: David De Gea, Rafael, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Fabio, Nani, Anderson, Tom Cleverley, Javier Hernandez, Federico Macheda, and Danny Welbeck...HERE'S the new-generation Manchester United team ready to take the Premier League by storm — and it's enough to turn Wayne Rooney's new hair transplant grey!
Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson gave us a glimpse of the future at Wembley during Sunday's thrilling Community Shield triumph over noisy neighbours Manchester City.
He threw on youngsters such as Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck and they responded with a blistering display of ferocious pace and audacious talent.
Fergie has patiently introduced more and more young talent into his United team — and the 69-year-old maestro could now name a new-generation side that would be the envy of most Premier League teams. Like the one featured above.
Incredibly, every player is 24 or under — so there's no room for stalwarts like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic.
And England winger Ashley Young doesn't get a look-in either — at the age of 26. But with players like Nani — the star of Sunday's Wembley masterclass — and Javier Hernandez to choose from, who needs the veterans?
Add to them young stars such as Chris Smalling, David de Gea and the Da Silva twins and United can suddenly field a fearsome team of starlets right now.
England new boys Cleverley and Welbeck are likely to be offered new deals to go along with their more regular roles this season.
Cleverley, 21, is currently on around £15,000 a week at Old Trafford and is hoping to double his money at least with a new contract.
Welbeck — who was on loan with Sunderland last season — has been in talks since he returned from Wearside as his current deal expires in two years' time.
This is not the first time Ferguson has built a dynasty, with the Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Neville and Butt era part of Old Trafford legend.And current 'old-stager' Patrice Evra, 30 years old, agrees the new brigade are something to behold.
Rising star: Tom Cleverley (left) shone for Manchester United on Sunday
After Sunday's incredible 3-2 Wembley triumph against City, he said: "They were very good, all the young players.
"In pre-season they were fantastic and it's been great to welcome them into the team.
"They have to prove themselves and show they deserve to play for Man United. They are doing that and I am very happy with them.
"To bring players through is what we do here. Players like Tom Cleverley are the future.
"In order to win the league the boss is not afraid to give the young players a chance.
"He knows they can help us to win more titles. That's the Man United way. It's always been like that. The boss never waits or thinks it's too dangerous. He knows the right time to play these young players."
Evra believes there is more than a passing similarity between Cleverley — who was called up to the England squad yesterday — and the retired Paul Scholes.
The Frenchman said: "Tom is a fantastic player. I hope this season he will get a lot of opportunities.
"In America he played some amazing games, particularly against Barcelona. In the second half you saw that he is not afraid, he had a lot of energy and Man United need a player like this.
"He's a quiet lad, he's a bit like Scholesy in that way. He never talks much, he just does his job on the pitch. He's a very private guy."
Evra believes United's Wembley supershow has proved they will be the team to beat when the new season starts this weekend.
"We don't need to look at City or anyone else. If we want to retain our title we just have to play the Man United way and that's what we did in the Community Shield.
"I always say I respect every opponent, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool — anyone.
"But the most important team will be Manchester United. It will be us. If we play the way we can, we've shown everyone that we should win the title.
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yes plus pogba and petrucci and morrison still to come. awesome. united to dominate for the next 10 years at least with these youngsters.
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What a good buy Phil Jones has been... Even at this early stage, we can already see he is a real quality player...
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You can see this cleverley....he has some magic in him. He can suddenly provide one of those killer passes. Haven't seen this of any united youngster in years.
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Macheda ?? I dun think he suits the BPL, he is physically weak and solo-minded as seen in the pre-season. I feel his glory moments were just stray luck and Welbeck has well surpassed him since.
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if these guys can help to continue to carry the team and eventually step up to stay in key roles, then MU will stay strong for a long time yet.
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Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson: I make players believe that they are working class
IT'S said the greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist.
Alex Ferguson's party-piece is making a band of millionaires believe they're working-class heroes.
Season by season, his Manchester United superstars get richer more detached from the realities of the lives their fans lead.
Yet somehow, the man they call The Govanor keeps creating teams who leave their bling at home and go out to graft in their overalls.
Ahead of his 38th season as a manager, Ferguson took time out to meet up with old pals from his days as a free-scoring striker with Dunfermline in the mid-1960s, men who learned a trade before football became their living and who went back to their tools after hanging up their boots.
None of them would dare forget their roots. The big job for the man in charge of guys earning £100,000 a week, though, is to make them feel like they HAVE roots.
Ferguson said: "We were working class, the boys today aren't. Some of them might think they are, but they're not.
"Their fathers and their grandfathers might have been, but times have changed.
"What you have to do, though, is make them believe in working-class principles, to make them think like they're working class. You have to make them realise the privilege of working.
"I tell them working hard all your life isn't easy, but it's worth it.
"When I was young, I was playing part-time and working as a toolmaker until Willie Cunningham took me to Dunfermline and gave me my big break by offering me full-time football.
"All I knew from then on was that I didn't want to go back to my tools. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with being a toolmaker, but once that chance came I was determined to work as hard as I could to grab it and stay in the game.
"The same applies at Manchester United today. We have them in every day, except maybe for the odd Monday off.
"And they know that, whatever the demands are off the park, if they don't come in and graft and really WANT to be in that team, they won't be."
Those Dunfermline friends will confirm these attitudes were moulded a long time ago.
At a gala night, when 1,300 packed the Scottish town's Alhambra Theatre in aid of current director of football Jim Leishman's charity foundation, they told of a guy who celebrated five-a-side goals like cup final winners.
He was someone who'd elbow his granny to get to a loose ball, who'd argue Sunday was Monday - and who could talk anyone into anything.
Ferguson added: "Dunfermline was the peak of my playing career, a really special time.
"We had a great bunch of lads. And we were good - we should have won the Double in 1965, but I missed a sitter against St Johnstone in the second last league game when the title could have been ours and then we lost the cup final 3-2 to Celtic.
"I was left out of that final despite being our top scorer and the experience taught me a huge lesson for when I became a manager.
"We were in the dressing room at 2.10pm and when the team was read out it took me a few seconds to realise my name wasn't in it. I was devastated - and the one thing I've always made sure of is to tell the player face-to-face before any announcement's made."
It's clear he has logged away many lessons like these down the years.
Ferguson said: "If I learned one major lesson in my time at St Mirren it was that I was maybe too aggressive in my style of management.
"There were directors I wouldn't allow on the team bus and you cannot get away with that, it only leads down one road.
"At Aberdeen, I once went on telly straight after we'd beaten Rangers in the Scottish Cup final and caned the players. That was a real aberration. We'd beaten Real Madrid in the Cup Winners' Cup final on the Wednesday and in my elation I expected us to be able to beat anybody 10-0.
"What I didn't take into account was the players were drained. They'd gone to extra time in Gothenburg and now they'd done the same again at Hampden and they'd still ground out the win. I apologised to them later. I was out of order."
But then, maybe without those emotions he would not be the success he is today, a man going on 70 but who - as the world saw when United beat City in the Community Shield last Sunday - still leaps about like a teenager when his team scores.
There's only one question left to be asked: How long will keep doing it?
He smiled: "I made the mistake once before of announcing my retirement and my wife, Cathy, soon put me right on that on.
"So now I look at things and can't see myself out of the game. I enjoy it, I stay fit, I'm in the office at quarter to seven and if you want to meet me, you need to get in before nine."
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i read that SAF's working class is a dig/hint at WS's wage demands.