Patrice Evra is one of the best left backs in the world, and in an exclusive interview with Matt Lawton, he talks about what it's like in the Manchester United locker room.
Ferguson in pre-game: "Before a game he always tells a small story. Sometimes he talks about when he was the Aberdeen manager. Another time he went round the dressing room and talked about the different players. The fact that here we were, from Korea, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, from different parts of England and the world, and how we had all come together to be in the same place. He talked about our stories. The different obstacles we had overcome to get here. It gave the players this huge lift."
About Ferguson's hair-dryer treatments: "Alex Ferguson is a culture,' he says. 'And he is a winner. Football is like a pyramid. To reach the top is easy. It is staying there that is difficult. He does not let you rest. He is always hungry for the next game.
'I remember one match when we were winning 2-0 by half-time and he still gave us the hair-dryer because we should have been four or five up. He reminded us that people had paid money to watch us. "Why don't you respect them?" he screamed.
'He demands the highest standards. If you play a good game for United, you sit on the bench. Only if you play an amazing game do you stay in the team. Those are the rules and the players accept them.'
Even in this modern era of millionaire footballers, they also accept that infamous, aforementioned hair-dryer.
'After the Christmas party we had a couple of years ago, when there were the stories, he called us to a meeting and just killed everyone,' he says.
'The experienced players. The young players. It was our fault and he told us, and reminded us of the responsibility we have. He managed that situation with his temper, but he doesn't always have to because the players here have so much respect for him. If he thinks the team is sleeping he will still use the hair-dryer, though.'
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