Fergie: “I didn’t want players to be paid more than me”

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he was shocked to find out Wayne Rooney was getting paid twice as much as him and told the Glazer family players should not be paid more than the manager.

In October 2010, fter accusing the club of not being ambitious enough and threatening to leave Old Trafford, Rooney was handed a new five-year deal worth £200,000-a-week.

The decision, however, did not sit well with Ferguson, who laid it all bare at the unveiling of his latest book, Leading.

“When the Glazers and David Gill agreed to a big increase in Wayne Rooney’s salary in 2010, they wanted to know how I felt,” he said.

“I told them I did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made and Joel Glazer immediately said, ‘I totally agree with you, but what should we do?’

“It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me’.”