Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction when two Man Utd players went out partying after a game was ruthless

Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction to two Manchester United players partying following a defeat to Manchester City has resurfaced, amid recent media reports about Marcus Rashford.

Rashford was reportedly spotted at nightclubs in Belfast on Wednesday and Thursday evening before reporting ill for training on Friday.

The 26-year-old England international spent his Wednesday evening at Lavery’s Bar before attending Thompsons Garage nightclub on Thursday, according to a report from The Athletic.

Erik ten Hag refused to go into detail before Sunday's FA Cup tie against Newport County but on Monday evening, Manchester United released a statement in response to the recent media reports.

It read: "Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed.”

As reports continue to emerge around Rashford and his absence from the United squad, a story involving former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and two former players has re-emerged.

Back in April 2013, Manchester City reduced United's lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points after recording an impressive 1-0 win against their local rivals.

It was ultimately a minor blip in an otherwise dominant season for the Reds but Ferguson was unhappy with the result. And his mood didn't improve the following day.

The Scot found out that two Manchester United players were spotted partying in the hours after Sergio Aguero's late winner at Old Trafford – something that infuriated the manager.

Robin Van Persie, who scored 26 goals in 38 games that season, opened up about Ferguson's reaction to the late night antics in an interview with SoFoot.

Image credit: Getty

He said: "In my first season, we were 15 points ahead in the league, and we welcomed Manchester City to win the title.

“If we won this match, it was 18 points ahead, but we had lost. This still left us 12 points ahead, most managers would not have dramatised the situation. The boss, on the other hand, he went up in the turns. It was really hot.

“Two guys from the team were out after this loss. The day after the match, he had pictures of the two players posted in the dressing room during their night out.

"He said to the whole team, 'Ok guys if we don't win the championship, know that it's because of those two a**holes that chose to go out."

Van Persie continued, saying: "Yeah, I have the names, but I really can't give them. It was incredible, he had pasted lots of photos, we had limited the evening of the two players hour by hour: 2am, 3am, 4am, as if to emphasise the extent of their bulls**t.

"He didn't stop there, he warned us all: 'Guys, listen well if we don't win the championship, it's because these two have decided to go out to have fun. From now on, if I see a player come out before the trophy is lifted, that player is out.'

"He was ruthless. 'I don't care about who you are, how many trophies you've won so far. If you go out before the end of the season, you leave the team and I'll sell you.' After that speech, we went to train, and it was the two hardest workouts of my life. Twelve points ahead and that's his reaction.”

Image credit: Getty

If you didn't meet the high standards set by Ferguson, then you'd be in trouble. Big trouble.