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Alan Smith Recounts Rejecting Ferguson in 1987 as New Pieces Revisit Ferguson’s Early Arrest

Year-end profiles rely on Smith’s podcast testimony plus Ferguson’s documentary recollections.

Overview

  • Smith says Alex Ferguson phoned in early 1987 while he was at his parents’ home watching Coronation Street.
  • He told Ferguson he had decided to join Arsenal, signed in March 1987, then returned to Leicester on loan for the rest of the season.
  • Smith’s Arsenal career included the 1989 title-clinching night at Anfield, the 1991 league crown, the 1993 cup double and the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup, before retiring in 1995 to become a Sky Sports pundit.
  • Ferguson recounts a drunken fight in the early 1960s that led to a night in jail, a £3 fine and a two-year estrangement from his father.
  • He credits a hat-trick against Rangers with repairing the family rift and sparking the path that culminated in a record 13 league titles at Manchester United.