Former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin has suggested his broken leg was the catalyst for Sir Alex Ferguson s trophy-laden reign.
Ferguson is approaching his 25th year in charge of the Manchester club and Dublin spoke of the broken leg he suffered in one of his first games for United, prompting Ferguson to turn to talismanic Frenchman Eric Cantona.
It was my Old Trafford debut and it lasted about 60 minutes and my left leg and left ankle sort of gave way on me from a tackle from behind, he joked to ESPN Classic.
I am the reason why Man United have won all those trophies it s down to me, it really is. I break my leg and then they bring in this has-been called Cantona who just takes the world of football by storm.
As soon as he came in it just took off. Players warmed to him. Eric is bigger than me he had a touch of a genius, he could head it, he could tackle, left and right foot, the guy was an absolute genius. And I think that’s what Man United needed.
Dublin also revealed Sir Alex s half-time team talks were highly motivational, despite the Scot having a reputation for dishing out the hairdryer treatment at a poor performance.
Some people need the hairdryer, said Dublin, who went on to have stints of note at Aston Villa and Coventry City before retiring in 2008.
I had it and I don’t even know where I was. The only thing I remember about it was we were playing against a team in red and white stripes and I had a stinking first half, missed a load of chances and he was right there at half-time, told me what he thought. I went out and scored a goal in the second half.
I respect the man for knowing what kind of character I was to get the best out of me.
