Man Utd legend admits Sir Alex Ferguson had to intervene due to his drinking habits

Ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has shared how Sir Alex Ferguson cautioned him about his partying and drinking habits shortly after he joined the club.

Ferdinand, who became Britain’s priciest footballer when he transferred from Leeds to the Red Devils in July 2002 for just over £30million, evolved into one of United’s most outstanding central defenders. The 46-year-old recently discussed adapting to the stringent professional ethos at Old Trafford on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents.

The former England star confessed that his penchant for partying originated during his early career with West Ham. However, a wake-up call came swiftly after signing with Sir Alex. He was then compelled to balance his social life and professional commitments following the legendary manager’s advice on conduct.

In a conversation with Ste Howson and Joel Beya on the podcast, the name of Dennis Rodman, the renowned Chicago Bulls basketball player known for his party-heavy lifestyle yet instrumental role in his team’s triumphs, came up. When Howson pondered who would embody that character during Ferdinand’s tenure at United, the ex-Leeds player admitted it would be him, reports the Manchester Evening News.

“At one point it would be me (Being the ‘Dennis Rodman of the team’) as I loved it (Going on a night out) I loved it,” Ferdinand said.”You have to remember that when I was at West Ham it was probably the worst environment to grow up in, it was ‘win or lose, have a booze, if you draw, have some more’.

“The team bus on the way home was like a pub, it was unbelievable right, so everyone was drinking, smoking and me and Frank Lampard used to look back going ‘one day we’ll be back there with those guys’ and then I go to Leeds and the professionalism jumps up, but we still went out.

“It was ok because there wasn’t a game for 48-hours or more, so we went out at the ‘right’ times, but we went out and had good, solid all-dayers. Anyway then I signed with United and, I know from being with England that the United guys liked a drink, but they were really conditioned and professional at the right times, not crazy, like, doing it four times a week.

“So I get there and when I first signed I got injured in a pre-season game before the season started and I was out for six weeks. I went out every night, I wanted to see what the atmosphere was like, what the vibes were like. But the manager found out and slowed me down with one comment: ‘you want to stay here? You better watch what you do’.

“I’d been going out four times a week for six weeks, right, and the people in the restaurants knew my name. In the bars they knew me and I was getting tables, this that and the other, I really immersed myself in the culture of Manchester like you should do when you go to a new club.

“And then I realised if I wanted to be successful, as I’m going in half-cut when training starts thinking ‘Gary Neville ain’t going out, Scholesy (Paul Scholes) ain’t going out, Roy’s (Roy Keane) not going out, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s not going out’ and the sessions are sharp man, every day, I had to curb that and become much more professional, fit in with the guys, and then my game got better and I grew into a better player.”

The central defender’s transformation paid off. Ferdinand scooped an impressive trophy haul, including six Premier League titles, two League Cups, and the Champions League with United before leaving to join Queens Park Rangers in 2014.