Sir Alex Commander-In-Chief
Speaking exclusively to Genting, he said: “In our dressing room, Sir Alex (Ferguson) was the commander-in-chief.
“As a player, if you tried to create problems without the support of a group, you would be in big trouble. We had the right balance.
“The dressing room was perfectly managed. The British lads, the local lads, like Scholesy (Paul Scholes), the Nevilles (Gary and Phil), all those guys understood the club from the top to the bottom.
“That group of eight or nine players, they knew the standards that were required. That type of group doesn’t exist in this generation of United.
“It’s really hard for an outsider to maintain some of these values. I’m not saying that it’s not possible, because I’m sure that Liverpool, when you look at their side, they have three or four local lads in the squad who really understand the culture and mentality of the club. That’s why they win championships.
“To be successful you need to have this. It’s vital. You can’t win a championship if you have groups in the changing room that are not united. I know that myself. I was part of a clique of foreigners, but we understood.
“Giggsy (Ryan Giggs), Scholesy, Roy (Keane), Wes Brown, even Quinton Fortune. They made the rules and nobody would argue with them because they were all winners.”
Difficult Season
United are enduring a difficult season and find themselves 19 points behind local rivals and Premier League table-toppers Manchester City – albeit with a game in hand on Pep Guardiola’s men.
That is despite a summer of significant transfer business, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho arrive at Old Trafford.
Their poor early-season form led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal, with Ralf Rangnick replacing him on an interim basis until the end of the campaign.
Divisions In The Dressing Room
Reports of disharmony within the Red Devils’ squad have emerged, but Saha feels it is necessary for players to confront each other in order to turn the team into title contenders.
“(Reports of issues in the dressing room are) totally normal,” he explained. “You want people in the dressing room challenging each other – it’s not normal to be nice all of the time.
“It’s very important to make sure that players understand the standards required to win titles, and sometimes you have to be direct and have difficult conversations.
“When you play for Manchester United, these arguments should be happening all of the time. Players need to push each other to deliver their best performance.
“Dressing room leaks are completely normal. Agents will use the press to benefit their clients, sometimes to get them a move.
“Some players will leak things, but, generally when these stories come out it is because the camp wants to improve and create a reaction.
“There are different tactics to motivate players and, sometimes, the negative stories work.
“I don’t want to comment on speculation because I don’t know the details, but I’m reassured by the stories.
“When I played, we had characters like Roy Keane; winners who would speak the truth. As a player, sometimes it could be painful but you need to go through that.”
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