Bryan Robson opens up on Man Utd drinking rule under Sir Alex Ferguson - until league win

Bryan Robson played over 450 times for Manchester United, winning the first Premier League title with the side under Sir Alex Ferguson, who set strict expectations for his players' performances

Former Manchester United star Bryan Robson has lifted the lid on his drinking rule while playing at the club under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Bryan signed for United as a 24 year-old under the reign of Ron Atkinson in 1981, before the manager was eventually replaced by Fergie in 1986.

The pair both went on to mark themselves as legends in the red half of Manchester, with Robson representing the side 461 times, and Ferguson only retiring after 26 years of service.

Now, speaking on the Quickly Kevin; will he score? The 90s Football Show podcast, Robson has reflected on his time working with the iconic manager, emphasising the rigorous standards players were expected to maintain.

“I always had a rule to myself; never drink two nights before a game,” he recalled. “So if you’ve got a weekend game, a Wednesday game, and a weekend game, then you’re only drinking maybe once or twice a week.”

Still, Bryan admitted that this didn’t stop the players celebrating when they became the first team to lift the first Premier League title.

“We went to a local hotel and just had a couple of drinks because the gaffer would only let us have a couple of drinks,” he laughed.

But, despite Fergie’s instructions, and his own self-enforced rule, Bryan confessed that the celebrations may have impacted upon the fixture that followed their being crowned as Premier League champions.

“I think we were a little bit hungover,” he admitted. “Some lads can take it, [but] some lads get a little bit ill.”

Robson eventually left Manchester United in 1994, ushering in a new era for the club that was marked by the rise of the Class of 92, made up of the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes.

And, despite being frustrated to have to leave the club, Bryan admitted that the talent on display was exceptional.

“The boss had me in his office, and he said because of the Class of 92, he had to make way for them and so he let quite a few of the older lads go at that time to bring the young lads through,” he recalled.

“But his judgement was right because nobody could have believed that the Class of 92 would be as good as they were.”

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