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From team chats to signing strikers - the inside story of how Sir Alex Ferguson inspired Manchester United success in Europe

It must've been a unique experience for Paul Parker as he strolled along the Bosporus front and into the luxurious Çırağan Palace - taking in the Turkish sunshine. One of his previous trips to this part of the world, back in 1993, was the polar opposite: a ferociously cold welcome into Istanbul by the most fierce of Galatasaray faithful.

Manchester United had touched down for their second-leg tie of the newly-branded Champions League after a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. The contested 90 minutes were hostile, with Eric Cantona sent off after the final whistle and a goalless draw seeing United knocked out at theAli Sami Yen Stadium.

Parker - who made over 100 appearances for United between 1991 and 1996 - played the full 90 minutes that night. His trip back to reflect on the encounter, alongside ex-Galatasaray man Hamza Hamzaoğlu, features in the upcoming BT Sport Film Back Into The Sunshine, which follows English football’s rebirth following its five-year European ban in light of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Also read: Four 8/10s: United player ratings vs Bournemouth

Exposure to the different cultures and cities in Europe is something Parker never got to experience back in his playing days - when the squad would be flown in and out, with strictly business in between. The opportunity to do so nowadays is therefore not taken for granted, nor is looking back on his days in United colours. There will always be a great sense of pride for Parker, whose eyes were well and truly opened by the Galatasaray clash.

"Someone said to me about Istanbul and I would always think about that game against Galatasaray," Parker told the Manchester Evening News. "I would've been about 27 or 28 at the time. I was senior by my age, but when it

Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk