How far Sir Alex Ferguson’s power extended at Manchester United

January 12, 2026 Oliver Obel

The afternoon at Anfield was unraveling quickly. Manchester United were struggling, and Lee Sharpe knew he was off the pace. What he did not expect, he has since said, was that the consequences would follow him home.

In interviews years later, Sharpe described the episode as one of the clearest examples of how absolute Sir Alex Ferguson’s authority could be during his long reign at Old Trafford extending well beyond football matters.

A manager who set the rules

Ferguson led Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, building an era defined by control as much as success. Players rarely challenged him, and many have since acknowledged that his influence shaped almost every aspect of life at the club.

Sharpe has said that influence reached into his personal relationships. Speaking on the Sacked in the Morning podcast, he recalled that Ferguson had allowed him to live with his girlfriend while still a teenager, but only on strict conditions.

“From top to bottom, he [Ferguson] ran the club,” Sharpe said. “He said he'd allow it and asked if we were getting married… But he said if my form suffered, I'd be going to go back into digs.”

At the time, Sharpe said, he thought little of the warning.

Liverpool, confusion, and a breaking point

The arrangement ended after a difficult away match against Liverpool. According to Sharpe’s recollection, Ferguson altered the system, leaving him and Ryan Giggs unsure of their responsibilities.

“Me and Ryan Giggs were running around in circles not knowing who to mark,” he said. By half-time, Ferguson’s patience had gone, telling the pair they were “absolutely useless.”

What followed, Sharpe suggested, went far beyond a dressing-room reprimand.

Punishment that followed him home

Sharpe said Ferguson demanded immediate changes to his life off the pitch.

“[Ferguson said] ‘Tomorrow, you're going to sell your house, sell your dog, sell your car. You send your girlfriend back to Birmingham, you're back in digs.’”

Sharpe said he complied, sending his girlfriend away and moving into club accommodation. In the weeks that followed, Ferguson would approach him in training and ask, half-jokingly, “Are you married yet?”

Even among stories of Ferguson’s famed ruthlessness, Sharpe has implied, the episode felt extreme.

No real reconciliation

The passage of time did little to smooth things over. On the Quickly Kevin; Will He Score? podcast, Sharpe said Ferguson appeared distant when they later crossed paths.

“I saw him a couple of years ago… he didn’t want to look at me,” Sharpe said.

He linked that distance to his 2005 autobiography, in which he referred to Ferguson as a “bully,” suggesting the remark may have closed the door on any reconciliation.

How Sharpe’s United career is remembered

Despite their strained relationship, Sharpe’s record at Manchester United was substantial. He made 261 appearances, won three Premier League titles, and collected 10 major trophies before leaving for Leeds United in 1996 for a reported £4.5 million.

His career coincided with Ryan Giggs’ emergence, which limited his long-term role in the side. Still, Sharpe remains a fondly remembered figure among supporters a symbol of a period when Ferguson’s authority was rarely questioned and players accepted that football came before everything else.

Seen now, Sharpe’s account offers a snapshot of a different era, when managerial power at elite clubs extended far beyond the pitch and few players were willing, or able, to push back.

Sources: Sacked in the Morning podcast; Quickly Kevin; Will He Score? podcast; Transfermarkt