Former Manchester United star Nani reveals players turned up DRUNK for training over the festive period… and Sir Alex Ferguson ‘didn’t care’ because ‘he knew how to deal with the players’
- Former Man United winger Nani has claimed players could attend training drunk
- The Portuguese has suggested expectations were relaxed over the festive period
- Nani won four Premier League titles under former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
- He spent eight years at United until 2015 and is now with MLS side Orlando City
Manchester United would turn a blind eye to players turning up to training drunk as part of ‘a moment of relaxation’ over the New Year period, former star Nani has claimed.
Praising former boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s man-management during United’s ‘non-stop’ schedule, the four-time Premier League winner revealed members of the squad were allowed to attend training the worse for wear after festive nights out.
Reflecting on sessions as part of the star-studded squad, Nani told Tribuna Expresso he had ‘nights out at the right time’ and ‘never got in trouble’, adding: ‘If I had the next day off, for example, then I could have some fun…on special days like Christmas or New Year – no one in England cares about that.
Ex-Man United winger Nani says players were occasionally excused being short of peak fitness
The Portuguese playmaker claims stars could turn up to sessions drunk in the new year period
Nani was united with fellow Portugal regulars Anderson and Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford
‘On New Year, we could even go to training drunk and the coach didn’t care about it. That’s the side of [Sir Alex] that knew how to deal with the players and have the perception to say, “this day is special, I can’t make demands”.
‘We had been playing non-stop all year long. If one day Wes Brown gets drunk, what are we going to do? It was a joy, a moment of relaxation, a different kind of training – clowning around. I won’t lie, I liked nights out.’
Nani joined a glittering United squad when he signed from Sporting CP alongside compatriat Anderson for £35m in 2007.
The winger briefly lived with team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after moving to England and tested himself in training against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.
He scored one of United’s spot kicks in their penalty shootout win over Chelsea in the Champions League final in his first season at the club, when he also won the Premier League.
Speaking about Ferguson’s approach, Nani recalled: ‘It was amazing.
‘He knows how to deal with the player, whether they are older or younger.
‘He knows how to manage their professional career and the human being.’
