Sir Alex Ferguson ruled the roost at Manchester United, as one former Red Devil found out the hard way when they said they wouldn't play a match in the reserves

Manchester United icon Andy Cole has opened up about the brief quarrel he had with Sir Alex Ferguson that led to him being left out of a crucial match against Arsenal.

Alongside Dwight Yorke, Cole spearheaded a United frontline that went on to win the Treble in 1999. Throughout his time at Old Trafford, Cole was often labelled arrogant due to his unwavering self-confidence and insistence on being in the starting eleven.

When he first arrived from Newcastle United for a then club record fee of PS7million plus Keith Gillespie, Cole's blunt interviews also saw him be labelled as 'surly'. The former England international insists he was not arrogant and that his attitude was born out of hunger and desire.

But there was one occasion where his attitude saw him fall on the wrong side of Ferguson. It even cost him a place in a United squad that faced Arsenal at Highbury.

"I remember one year, I fell out with the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson]. He asked me to play in a reserve game and I said that I'm not playing.

"I think I was coming back from injury or something, but I said that I wasn't playing. He said, 'Okay, no problem'.

Ferguson was not pleased with Cole ( Image:

Daily Mirror) "We went down to Highbury, and he put me upstairs to watch the game and we lost 3-0. The week after that I got back involved and got myself back into the team."

During his tenure with the Red Devils, Cole netted an impressive 121 goals and provided 44 assists in 275 appearances. His refusal to play for the reserves may have irked Ferguson, but the ex-striker believes it was this hunger to always be part of United's first team that shaped him as a player.

"It was that mentality, to be a sub at times, it cheesed me off and that got the fire burning even more," Cole admitted. "I look back now and realise that it was pride," according to the Express.

Cole offered an insight into his mentality at United ( Image:

YouTube/The Overlap) "If I look back on my career now, the things I did then, that's what I did. I look back now and think, could I have changed that a little bit? No, because would I have been the player I was?

"The only thing I'd turn around and say, I left United when I had the opportunity to stay. But that was me just saying, my pride says I need to go and play football, play as many games as possible."