The former Manchester United winger once got the wrong end of Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Old Trafford
Lee Sharpe of Manchester United celebrates his sides second goal.
Lee Sharpe played under Sir Alex Ferguson for eight years(Image: David Davies/Offside via Getty Images)
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Lee Sharpe says he was forced to live away from his girlfriend and remove additional distractions from his life due to his poor form at Manchester United.
The former winger was on the receiving end of one of Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous rants, and things got so bad that he was required to live in club accommodation. Sharpe spent eight years at Old Trafford, winning three Premier League titles, a Champions League and a number of domestic cups.
However, not everything was rosy in Manchester for the forward as he dealt with inconsistent form and injuries during his time with the club. One particular moment was when Sharpe had asked Fergie's permission to live with his long-time girlfriend after he turned 18.
Speaking on the Sacked in the Morning podcast, the 54-year-old recalled just how much control the iconic manager had in Manchester and how it ended up affecting his relationship. Sharpe said: "From top to bottom, he ran the club.
"He said he'd allow it [moving in with his girlfriend] and asked if we were getting married. We'd been going out since I was 12, and that was the plan.
Lee Sharpe of Manchester United on the ball during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on March 24, 1996 in Manchester, England.
Lee Sharpe of Manchester United on the ball during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on March 24, 1996 in Manchester, England.
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The former United star ended up on the wrong side of Fergie(Image: David Gadd/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
"But he said if my form suffered, I'd be going to go back into digs. I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, that's not a problem.' And then my form started to suffer. At Anfield, of all places, he decided to try to change our formation to match up with Liverpool and play three at the back and five in midfield.
"Me and Ryan Giggs were running around in circles not knowing who to mark. The game was passing us by. At half-time, he said, in not so many words, 'You are absolutely useless.'"
However, the rant only got worse for Sharpe as he said: "[Ferguson said] 'Tomorrow, you're going to sell your house, sell your dog, sell your car. You send your girlfriend back to Birmingham, you're back in digs.'
Reading 0-3 Manchester United, FA Cup 4th Round match at Elm Park, Saturday 27th January 1996. Pictured, Lee Sharpe.
The poor run of form led to some consequences for Sharpe(Image: Reading Post/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
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"Obviously, I didn't play great, came off with about 20 minutes to go, went home, told my girlfriend she had to go home. That was the end of that. Then every week he would come up to me in training and ask, 'Are you married yet?' I'm like, 'Married? You sent my girlfriend home!"
Despite this romantic setback, Sharpe eventually won Ferguson over as he made 261 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 36 goals and assisting 30 times.
Spells at Leeds United, Bradford City and Bradford followed his eight-year tenure at United before he hung up his boots in 2004 with 10 major honours under his arm.