Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has told of the time he received the Sir Alex Ferguson ‘hairdryer’ treatment — in just his second game at the club.
The Frenchman had scored three times in his first two matches for his new team in 2004, which included a first-half brace in a 4-3 win over Everton. But the attacker had revealed he was still subject to the verbal wrath of Sir Alex despite his double, after missing two gilt-edged chances.
Speaking to SPORTbible (via Freebets), Saha said: "I've been on the end of this, but when he gave you the hairdryer treatment, he did it because he wanted you to improve. He didn't do it because he had an ego, it was because he was protecting the institution of Man United and how standards needed to be respected.”
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He added: "It was good for the club, it was good for the players, and it was good for his position as a manager, maintaining order with the players. I remember, it was my second game, and I had a big hair dryer treatment as I missed two sitters and it was close as we almost lost the game.
“But getting that treatment was a positive, because he made us realise, we are messing around and there is no way you can accept such standards." Saha ended up scoring 42 goals in 124 games for United between 2004 and 2008.
The former Fulham striker was part of an Old Trafford squad that had a winning ethos under Ferguson. He won two Premier League titles, a Champions League and a League Cup during his time at United.
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Saha believes that relentless mindset instilled by Ferguson is now not present at the club, with an acceptance of sub-par results. He said: “At the club now, the managers have the same body language as the players and just accept the result. Nobody is enraged and you build a culture that allows players to be the way they are."
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