Sir Alex Ferguson phones up player Man Utd sold 11 years ago after admitting club should never have sold him

Sir Alex Ferguson recently phoned a player Manchester United sold more than 10 years ago.

During Ferguson's long reign as United boss, the Red Devils won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues among other trophies.

Since the Scotsman retired in 2013, many managers have tried and failed to bring glory back to Old Trafford.

Back in 2014, United parted ways with striker Danny Welbeck, who was sold to rivals Arsenal for a reported fee of £16 million.

At the time, Rene Meulensteen, who worked as Ferguson's assistant at United, was asked whether the great man would've sanctioned the Welbeck transfer.

The Dutchman replied: "No, definitely not. You look back through the history of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and we were always keen on bringing young players through and giving them a chance.

"People keep saying about Danny Welbeck not scoring enough goals but you have to look at the people with him and in front of him and how many games has he really played in his preferred position?"

Welbeck went on to score 32 goals in 126 matches for the Gunners before moving to Watford in 2019.

The Englishman then left Watford for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2020. Since then, the 34-year-old has scored 34 goals in 152 matches for the Seagulls.

Danny Welbeck played under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Image: Getty

Speaking recently, Welbeck revealed that he received a phone call from Ferguson after he netted in an FA Cup tie against Newcastle United.

Welbeck said to the BBC: "After the Newcastle goal, I think he [Ferguson] was away in South Africa and he rang me and he was talking about the goal and the performance.

"It's 'No caller ID' that always rings and I was just like, 'Hello'. Sometimes I don't even answer as I don't know who it's going to be but it was him and he was just buzzing."

He continued: "To have that connection... he's a manager who was always looking out for his players, always wants the best for him and still to this day we're still in contact."