Sir Alex Ferguson ordered me to sell my dog and kick my girlfriend out

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Lee Sharpe has revealed that his poor performance at Manchester United led to him being forced to live separately from his girlfriend. The ex-winger found himself on the wrong end of one of Sir Alex Ferguson's notorious rants, with things getting so dire that he was made to reside in club-provided housing.

During his eight-year stint at Old Trafford, Sharpe won three Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, and several domestic cups. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the forward in Manchester as he grappled with inconsistent form and injuries throughout his tenure at the club.

A notable incident occurred when Sharpe sought Fergie's approval to move in with his long-term girlfriend after turning 18. Speaking on the Sacked in the Morning podcast, the 54-year-old reflected on the extent of control the legendary manager wielded in Manchester and how it impacted his personal life.

Sharpe said: "From top to bottom, he ran the club. He said he'd allow it [moving in with his girlfriend] and asked if we were getting married. We'd been going out since I was 12, and that was the plan.

"But he said if my form suffered, I'd be going to go back into digs. I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, that's not a problem.' And then my form started to suffer. At Anfield, of all places, he decided to try to change our formation to match up with Liverpool and play three at the back and five in midfield.

"Me and Ryan Giggs were running around in circles not knowing who to mark. The game was passing us by. At half-time, he said, in not so many words, 'You are absolutely useless.'"

However, Sharpe revealed that the tirade didn't stop there as he added: "[Ferguson said] 'Tomorrow, you're going to sell your house, sell your dog, sell your car. You send your girlfriend back to Birmingham, you're back in digs.'

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"Obviously, I didn't play great, came off with about 20 minutes to go, went home, told my girlfriend she had to go home. That was the end of that. Then every week he would come up to me in training and ask, 'Are you married yet?' I'm like, 'Married? You sent my girlfriend home!"

Despite this romantic hiccup, Sharpe eventually managed to win Ferguson's approval, making 261 appearances for the Red Devils and scoring 36 goals, while providing 30 assists.

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