FORMER Manchester United prospect Ashley Westwood has revealed he once told Sir Alex Ferguson “I know more than you”.
The ex-Crewe and Sheffield Wednesday defender, 47, enjoyed a 17-year playing career in the Football League after leaving Old Trafford without a first-team game.
Nowadays, Westwood is coaching the Afghanistan national team after a decade managing in Asia.
When recalling his trip to the country to discuss the position last year, he told The Athletic: “I went because I wanted to see them face to face.
“To ask them what they wanted and to tell them what I needed to achieve that.
“This is my character, whether I make the right or wrong decision. Like when I told Sir Alex Ferguson that I knew more than him. I didn’t.”
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The Fergie incident he is referring to came back in 1995 when he stated his desire to leave Man Utd.
After Fergie’s reward for impressive reserve-team performances was a new two-year deal at just £65 more than his existing contract – which stood at £210-a-week – Westwood responded by demanding a £5,000 signing-on fee.
When that was rejected, his mind was made up that he wanted to move, particularly given he could not see any first-team opportunities barring an injury crisis.
Yet Ferguson proved a difficult man to negotiate with as Westwood struggled to find a way out – which fuelled him to show the Man Utd boss what he was missing once he did depart.
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He said: “My mentality was, ‘I’ll go somewhere else and teach him’. I didn’t have an agent, just a demon in the back of my head telling me the wrong information.
“‘I’ll leave,’ I told Fergie. ‘There’s the door,’ he said. ‘Can I go for free?’ I replied. ‘No chance,’ he said. ‘You’re a Man United reserve team player. It’s £75,000’.
“‘Well, is that not going to make it hard for me?’ ‘Yes, of course it is!’
“That made me want to prove him wrong.”
Westwood, who now has a great relationship with Fergie, eventually left to join Crewe in a deal worth £40,000 and helped them secure promotion to the second tier in 1997.
He also went on to earn promotion from League Two with Swindon ten years later, hanging up his boots in 2012 following a spell with Portsmouth.
Following coaching stints at Kettering, Malaysian side Penang FA and three Indian sides, Westwood took the Afghanistan job last November.
He earned his first win in his fourth match in charge as they won 2-1 away in India in March.
Their World Cup qualification campaign continues on Thursday when they host Asian Cup champions Qatar.
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With two games remaining they sit third in Group A, behind India on goal difference as the two countries and Kuwait chase second spot.
If they secure second place, there are still three more rounds of qualifying before reaching the 2026 finals.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
