Paul Ince clocked up over 280 appearances and won two FA Cup's with Manchester United as a player.
But he'll be aiming to get one over on his old side as a manager when he returns to Old Trafford with his Reading side in Saturday night's fourth round tie.
A lot has changed since Ince last ran out as a player for Manchester United. The 55-year-old hung up his boots years ago and is now back managing in the Championship after a nine-year gap between his appointment in Berkshire and his last job at Blackpool.
Ince has worked wonders at cash-strapped Reading: he saved them from relegation to the third-tier last term and has defied the odds to get them challenging for a play-off spot this year despite transfer restrictions.
Reading's coffers should be significantly boosted by a trip to Old Trafford - and it should prove therapeutic for Ince, too, after he was heckled by disgruntled Blackburn Rovers fans during one of his last visits there as a manager. Ince will once again trudge the same touchline that housed his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson for so many years.
Ferguson was renowned for his legendary 'hairdryer' rants during his iconic tenure at Manchester United - and while Ince credits for the fiery Scotsman for some of the best moments of his career, there will always be one incident that sticks out in the former midfielder's mind.
Speaking in his Paddy Power column back in 2018, Ince said: "I’ve been looking back on all the incredible times I’ve had with him [Ferguson], sometimes good, sometimes bad: from winning trophies, to being on the receiving end of a massive telling off or a hairdryer treatment. All of the rants and raves, you start reflecting on it and it dawns on you what an enormous part of your life he was.
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"One memory that always sticks out to me is playing Norwich at Carrow Road, and they were challengers for the title at the time. We won 3-0, in fact we won it with ease. I thought I’d had a blinder of a game.
"But, we get to the end of the match and we’re all celebrating when Fergie comes in furious. I kept saying, ‘Boss, what’s your problem? We won!’ and he screamed at me, saying: ‘Paul, you are not f**king Maradona! You just get the ball and pass it to the best players.’
Ince admitted that he and Ferguson refused to speak to each other for over a fortnight before they finally made up during a light-hearted game of head tennis.
Despite having the opportunity to go back to Old Trafford, Ince has played down the occasion but does admit it's a "great draw" for the fans. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Ince said: "I’m not bothered about Manchester United, to be perfectly honest. It’s a great draw for the fans and financially it will be great for the club.
"But for me, it’s just another distraction. It’s a fantastic day out [for Reading supporters], I’m just disappointed it’s on a Saturday evening at 8pm on ITV with our fans who have got to get up there and back.
"Anybody would love the opportunity to play at Old Trafford, I played there for six years and won some fantastic trophies there. It’s the Theatre of Dreams, so for our players to experience that will be great.
"It takes the Championship stress away, but it’ll be a great day for the fans."
