Four players who Man United manager picked on as he 'wanted confrontation'

Legendary manager chose specific players to clash with, including his own captain, says .

Ferguson's illustrious career in the is marked by , two victories and five wins.

However, such success often came at . The formidable Scotsman was notorious for, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, during half-time talks, particularly in the earlier days of his tenure.

Iconic Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel, who made nearly 400 appearances under Ferguson, came clean about his former boss's tactics and the particular group he would single out for criticism more than others.

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"What I learned very quickly was that Sir needed an out," Schmeichel revealed, speaking to on the Stick to podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet.

"Very often it was in games where things were going well, or he needed something off his chest. He had certain players that he would do that to.

"I was one of them, Gary Pallister was one of them and was one of them. Ryan [Giggs] was also one of them. It would have been brutal to watch but you were allowed to talk back as a player. He wanted that confrontation because it was shaking things up. He wanted that.

"What I learned from him was that 95% of everything he said was by design and he was thinking about it and was waiting for the opportunity to say that. He would pick those moments and once it happened, gone."

Schmeichel lifted 15 major trophies under Ferguson's stewardship during an illustrious eight-year tenure at Old Trafford - a shining endorsement of the Scotsman's incendiary leadership. Yet, the Dane wasn't alone in his reflections on the legendary head coach, reports .

Former United captain and Schmeichel's colleague, Neville, also weighed in with his thoughts on Ferguson's management style. The ex-England defender, who now shares his insights as a Sky Sports pundit, spent an impressive two decades in Manchester and observed a shift in his manager's demeanour over time.

"When I was travelling with the team around that time and when I first broke into the team, Sir Alex Ferguson would have a go at players sometimes," Neville added.

"He was more ferocious in those early 90's compared to the late 90's. More international players came and certainly in the 2000's in was different again."

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