FORMER Manchester United physiotherapist Rod Thornley has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson signed his brother Ben.
The Scot used a rather unconventional method to sign the highly-rated Ben Thornley while he was at Manchester City‘s academy.
ReutersRod Thornley, centre, was Manchester United physio from 2000 until 2019[/caption]
Ben Thornley signed for United after his meeting with Sir Alex FergusonPA:Empics Sport
SplashFergie visited the former winger at his home[/caption]
According to Rod, who was a physio at United between 2000-2019, Ferguson visited his brother at their family home.
He recalled being shocked to see the former Red Devils boss sitting on his sofa after he returned home from school.
He told Four FourTwo: “I’ve come home one day, and it’s a Friday afternoon, and I’ve come home from school – I was like 13, 14 – and I walked past my front room. F***ing Sir Alex is set on my sofa.
“He’s sat on my sofa, with Brian Kidd next to him, and I’m like ‘what’s going on’… I didn’t think it was me, because at the time I wasn’t playing football.
“So I’ve run in the house, and my mum and dad have gone ‘calm down we’re just having a chat, just stay out of the room for an hour’. Anyway, he’s said hello to me and I’ve got out of his way.
“They were trying to sign him [Ben] from City basically – which they did in the end.”
Ben Thornley was part of the Class of 92 and was as highly rated as peers like David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
But after making his debut in the 1993-94 campaign he suffered a devastating injury to his knee in a reserve match against Blackburn, damaging his ligament.
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The setback limited him to just nine United appearances before he joined Huddersfield, initially on loan and then permanently in 1998.
A move to Aberdeen followed in 2001 where Thornley revealed he would regularly go out drinking with team-mates.