Paul Scholes: Ferguson Had Ability To Make Even Smaller Games Feel Like World Cup Final

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson used to make his players feel even the smallest games like a World Cup final.

The former Red Devils manager enjoyed great success at Old Trafford and helped United win the title for a record 20<sup>th time in his final season during the 2012/13 season. Throughout his club career, Scholes played under Ferguson.

The former England midfielder admitted that Ferguson used to show a video before the start of every game to get his players charged up.

Scholes says the legendary manager's pre-match talks would leave every United player motivated even before they stepped on the pitch.

"On match-days at Old Trafford, we would arrive about 12:30pm. Between then and 1:30pm Sir Alex would see players individually in his office," Scholes told the Evening Standard.

"Sometimes it was to tell them that they weren't playing. Sometimes it was to tell them that he had a specific role in mind for them."

"Just before 1:30pm, the manager's assistant, Mike Phelan in the later years, would come in to the players' lounge and tell us to go into the changing room for the team meeting."

"We would watch a video of some clips. Nothing longer than 10 or so minutes because minds could wander. Then Sir Alex would talk."

"He had an ability to make even the smaller games, the early rounds of the FA Cup, the league games against lower-placed sides, feel like the World Cup Final. He got inside your head. He got you going."

"One of his themes was to talk about the group of players having come from all over the world - or, in my case, Middleton - to play for Manchester United."

"Look around you, he would say. Look at the lad next to you. You know you can trust him. You know he won't let you down. It would have an effect on players. You could see them looking around at each other."

"Sometimes he would get stuck into an individual before a game. It might be over something that had happened in a previous match. He would talk about the opposition. He always told you something new," the Old Trafford favourite concluded.