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Man Utd star asked Sir Alex Ferguson for a paid year off after winning Treble, his reaction was priceless

Home> Football> Football News> Man Utd

Published 15:58 19 Jul 2023 GMT+1

Man Utd star asked Sir Alex Ferguson for a paid year off after winning Treble, his reaction was priceless

The United boss wasn't known for mincing his words.

Joe Adams

Joe Adams

Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't known for mincing his words, but his response to one player's request for a year of paid leave was priceless.

Manchester United's bitter rivals Manchester City completed the treble last season, matching the almighty achievements of the Red Devils' 1999 team.

But while the likes of Jack Grealish celebrated their success in style, no player had the audacity to ask for a whole year off - unlike former United striker Dwight Yorke.

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Speaking on the UTD Podcast, Yorke recalled how he jokingly asked Ferguson for a sabbatical after they beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League final to complete the treble.

"I mean what else is there to do in football after winning the treble?" Yorke said.

"I was on such a high. It was ridiculous. Concorde was flying back then and I remember we went to New York. Back in the days they used to put you up with the pilot. I got to New York and I thought 'what else is there to achieve after this?' because everything else will be a failure or deemed as a failure.

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"I went into the gaffer's office and said 'what are we doing? After winning the treble there's nothing to do. Can I have a year off from football with pay? Then I'll come back the next year and rejoin the team'.

"I honestly don't know what made me think that. What more could we possibly do as a team? Yeah we could repeat it but if you don't then the team is a failure. If there was a time you were going to ask the gaffer for anything, that was it. I didn't have anything to lose.

However, the the Trinidad and Tobago international, who scored 29 goals in all competitions in the treble season, was brutally shut down by his manager.

"He could only tell me to f*** off, which he did. He said 'f*** off and get lost'. It was jokingly but if he had said to take a year off then I would have done. But I knew that wasn't going to happen so I thought it was worth a try."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Football, Premier League

Joe Adams
Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

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@joeadamsjourno

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