Drinkwater revealed on The Athletic's 'Truth or Padel' podcast that Sir Alex Ferguson severely criticized him when he was 18 years old and negotiating his first professional contract with Manchester United.

The 36-year-old retired midfielder spent three years in Manchester United's academy but never made a first-team appearance for the club.

However, he did sign a professional contract in his late teens. Without an agent, Drinkwater negotiated the contract details himself, with assistance from Gary Neville.

Drinkwater attempted to negotiate for higher wages from Old Trafford but was quickly humbled.

He said: "I must have been 18, and I think it was my first or second professional contract. I went in and Sir Alex just absolutely went off on me.

"Gary Neville had gone in twice for me beforehand. He'd got the contract up by an extra £5,000 a year, but I didn't think it was fair.

"He went in again and came out, and nothing had changed. I was like, 'How is that fair?' And he was like, 'Oh my God, Drinkwater, you're playing reserve team football, what do you want?'

"So I went in to see the manager, and the manager just absolutely blasted me!"

As a senior figure at the club, Neville was often asked by young players to help negotiate their contracts with Ferguson, who famously disliked football agents.

Drinkwater said: "He'd done it for quite a lot of players. He was a presence in the club."

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com