Andy Cole has lifted the lid on training under Sir Alex Ferguson during his Manchester United playing days, explaining that there was a savage punishment for the worst-performing player
Andy Cole of Manchester United during training at The Cliff in Manchester
Andy Cole has explained a bizarre forfeit that was implemented at Manchester United(Image: Alex Livesy / AllSport)
Andy Cole has revealed that the worst-performing player in training during his Manchester United days had to wear a yellow jersey of shame.
The now 53-year-old spent six years with the Red Devils between 1995 and 2001 under Sir Alex Ferguson, where he explained that the intensity of training sessions leading up to matchdays was incredible. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast alongside Joel Beya, Cole explained: "Man United, the intensity of the training was mad. Mad.
"It was mad because the mentality of each individual was, 'If you lost a training game you would be fixed'. What we did then was we brought out the yellow jersey, yeah?
"So once the yellow jersey come out...the worst player, you used to give them the yellow jersey. So the next week, they've got to wear the yellow jersey." Ferdinand then asked: "Who used to get it a lot?" before Cole replied: "Pally," nodding to Gary Pallister.
Not to be deterred by managerial tactics, Cole explained: "We loved it because you knew then yeah? Training, you had to be on it because no one wanted to wear that jersey at the end of the week. Nobody.
"And man would get real vexed saying, 'Nah man, I'm not wearing that'. You've been voted so you've got to wear it. So imagine you've got to wear that for the week? It's like people are upset. The intensity in training was always nuts."
While Ferdinand is a Manchester United legend in his own right, thanks to his incredible 12-year stint with the club between 2002 and 2014, he didn't join the side until the year after Cole had parted ways with Old Trafford.d And during England camps, he used to probe Cole on what playing for the Red Devils was like.
Manchester United v Inter MIian 1999 European Champions League - Andy Cole hits the ball
He explained: "Remember when I used to go to England, yeah? And I'd sit there and I used to sit on the table sometimes or I'd be somewhere and I'd go to them like, 'What's it like at Man United, Andy? What's it like there?'.
"And the way you used to talk about Man United used to half scare me a little bit, because you used to build it up so much I'd think, 'Is he lying?'. Like he says, 'The young guys there like Wes Brown and that, the way they crunch everyone in training every day - the energy, that intensity. England training can't even look at it'.
"I used to sit there and think, 'Right, England training is hard - how's Man United? I can't go Man United. I can't go there.'" Intense training sessions evidently paid off for Sir Alex Ferguson during his tenure with the Old Trafford elite, with the legendary Scottish manager racking up 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, 10 Charity Shields and two Champions Leagues during his 27-year run.
Rio Ferdinand and Sir Alex Ferguson hold up a Manchester United shirt for the press following Rio Ferdinand's signing for the club
The glory days of the Ferguson era are seemingly incredibly out of reach for United fans at present, with the Red Devils currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League standings under new boss Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese mastermind took the reins of the club in November following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag.
However, the 40-year-old has failed to turn the tide with the squad that he inherited from his predecessor to date, with United on track for their lowest-ever finish in the English top flight should they fail to secure points from their last nine games. It comes as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently unveiled his project 150 plans to guide the club back to winning a Premier League title by 2028, coinciding with its 150th-year anniversary.
However, the plans have been hit with criticism, with former star Nicky Butt admitting that United are a far cry from achieving their aspirations. Speaking to the Mail, Butt said: "That ain't going to happen.
"It's going to be a long way off, and the most important thing is starting on the right foot. Hopefully get this season put to bed because it's been a disaster. What gets me is that everyone expects other clubs to sit still.
"Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will get better. Man City will definitely get better." United's next game comes in the form of an away trip to third-place Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.