The legendary standards of the Ferguson era were built on absolute authority, a trait Sharpe feels is missing from the current setup at Old Trafford. He suggested that even a "class act" like Carrick needs to be able to intimidate his players when performance levels drop.
"Michael Carrick and Sir Alex Ferguson are polar opposite personalities,” Sharpe toldfootball betting siteBetWright. "Carrick seems quite calm; the players have already spoken about his approach when he came in. Since joining the club, he’s put an arm around them and identified each of their strengths. He was a class act as a player and is a class act as a man and that will continue during his managerial career.
"Sir Alex Ferguson was completely different, he ruled through fear. He came in and scared everyone to death and had an aggressive team. The spine of his team was unmatched, but he was on top of everyone and that drew out the success from the team. You can’t argue with Sir Alex’s record as manager. Ideally, Carrick should take a bit of aggression from Sir Alex to give the players a kick up the backside on occasion - which is what they needed during and after the Leeds game."