Sir Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed how he created a rule to ensure no Manchester United player would be paid more than him during his final years as manager at Old Trafford.

Ferguson persuaded the Glazer family and chief executive David Gill to double his money on the spot after they had negotiated a lucrative new contract to keep Wayne Rooney from the clutches of Manchester City in 2010.

The new clause was agreed without hesitation, he explained in his new book 'Leading' and maintained it was an unhealthy practice for clubs to allow star players to earn more than the manager

'When the Glazers and David Gill agreed to a big increase in Wayne Rooney's salary, they wanted to know how I felt,' said Ferguson.
'I told them I did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made and Joel Glazer immediately said: 'I totally agree with you but what should we do?
'It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me. We agreed in less time than it takes to read the previous sentence.'


Rooney was 24 years old at the time, with less than two years on his deal and had been flirting with what would have been a controversial move to Manchester City.

He even released a statement which questioned the ambition of the club, only to reverse his decision when United smashed their wage structure to keep him.

The England striker signed his new deal in October 2010, with reports at the time claiming it was worth £180,000 a week.

It made him the best paid player in United's history. In February last year, he signed for another five years at £300,000 a week.

Ferguson also explained that for the last 15 years of his tenure at Old Trafford he operated on a one-year rolling contract with a pay-off worth two years' salary if he was ever sacked.