Everton player Ashley Young has revealed that he only saw two ex-Manchester United stars avoid the infamous ‘hairdryer treatment’ from legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out of football management in 2013 after the iconic Scotsman led Manchester United to their last Premier League title.
The 82-year-old United legend had a prolific impact in both Scotland and England as a manager, with Ferguson considered one of the best managers of all time.
Ferguson was widely admired for his leadership at Old Trafford and the former Aberdeen and United manager wasn’t afraid to pull no punches when required.
The iconic Scot reprimanded several players during his time at United and wasn’t afraid to put them on full blast with his notorious hairdryer treatment.
Young on Ferguson and hairdryer treatment
Ashley Young briefly played under Sir Alex Ferguson after Manchester United signed him from Aston Villa in 2011.
The 38-year-old Everton player was part of the United squad that won the Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign before Ferguson’s retirement.
Young continued his career at United long after Ferguson bowed out of Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointing him club captain in 2019.
The former United captain, who left Old Trafford in 2020, was on punditry duties for Sky Sports during Crystal Palace’s 4-0 demolition of the Red Devils on Monday.
Young candidly opened up about his time with Ferguson, having previously shared what it was like playing under the iconic former United manager’s tutelage.
“He knew his teams, he knew how to deal with every player,” he said on Sky Sports.
“Whether it was that they need the hairdryer or an arm round their shoulder.”
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher then asked which of the aforementioned treatments that Young received from Ferguson.
Young admitted that he had an ‘arm around his shoulder,’ with the ex-United star claiming that both he and Darren Fletcher escaped the hairdryer treatment.
“Just an arm around my shoulder,” he said in response to Jamie Carragher.
“I think there [were] two players that didn’t get the hairdryer. And that was me and Darren Fletcher, I think.
“There might have been other players previous to my time but at them times I knew I didn’t need telling what to do.
“I just needed an arm around the shoulder to go, ‘Right, son, this is what you need to do,’ and that was it.”
Young on Man Utd problems
Young admitted his own concerns with United’s lack of squad depth in the first team amid an injury crisis impacting Erik ten Hag’s side this season.
Erik ten Hag has seen his options limited in the current campaign and several players are currently sidelined, including Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.
Speaking on United’s difficulties, Young said: “I think you have to factor that in.
“Their left-sided players they have not got in their team, you are changing personnel.
“Like I say, the club of this size, there should be players ready to come in and take those positions. Of course, there are a lot of games that those players have been missing for.
“But that is where you have the size of the squad you have got. You are a world-class club that you can have the players to come in and take those roles.
“But right now, the absentees that they have had, it’s been a massive loss for them.”