Jesse Lingard's story about Sir Alex Ferguson when he was just 16-years-old is pure class.
Jesse Lingard is a now fully fledged member of Manchester United's first-team after working tirelessly away from Old Trafford to gain valuable experience.
Advert
He enjoyed loan spells at Leicester City, Birmingham City, Brighton Hove & Albion and Derby County before breaking into United's side.
And he's credited Sir Alex Ferguson for helping him rise up the ranks at United.
The England international has also recalled his meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson, revealing what he said to him when he was a teenager.
"When I turned 16, I seen a lot my teammates get pro contracts, but I wasn't offered one. I was gutted," he wrote for The Players Tribune.
Advert
"Honestly, I don't think I'd be here if it weren't for Sir Alex. If it weren't for the main man. One day, he had a meeting with me and my family. He sat us down in his office and he said, 'It's going to take a while for you, Jesse. We believe in you. But you're going to have to be patient. You're not going to be ready for the first team until you're 22 or 23.'"
He added: "I can't even tell you how massive that was for me and my family. You'd think I'd be disappointed, but when an absolute legend like Sir Alex says they believe in you, that means everything. He didn't have to meet with us, and he didn't have to say that to me.
"But that's why he's Sir Alex, and that's why Man United is Man United."
Lingard's also reminisced on his hilarious encounter with the legendary Scot in the corridors of Carrington when he was an academy product.
Advert
"I'll never forget this one day, I was still at the academy, and I was walking the corridors at Carrington. I think maybe I was having a bad day, to be honest. I was in my head. So I'm just walking the halls, and all of a sudden I feel a boot clip the back of me head," he added.
"Thwack. Proper thwack. I turn around, like, 'Bloody ... Who done that?'
"And it's Sir Alex, and he's got a little smirk. He says, 'How you beehavin', bwoy?'
"He knew what it meant to do something like that. That's how you knew he liked you, when he'd have a bit of banter with you.
Advert
"I was buzzing for days after that. The main man. Gonna play for him some day."
What a bloke.
This season, meanwhile, Lingard has played 23 games across all competitions including 19 Premier League outings, chipping in with four league goals.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Derby County, Football, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Premier League, England, Jesse Lingard, Old Trafford
