I played for Man Utd - I'll never forget what Sir Alex Ferguson did with our girlfriends

There's little Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have done for the sake of Manchester United.

From launching a boot at David Beckham to tearing up Roy Keane's contract, the legendary Scot ruled with an iron fist, going to any length necessary to keep his players committed to the club they were representing.

Incredibly, Sir Alex even took up the role of wingman during his tenure, persuading his players' girlfriends that their man was an ideal partner to settle down with.

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According to Class of '92 members and United legends Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, the reason Ferguson went from match-winner to match-maker was that he felt players in long-term relationships were less likely get caught up in any shenanigans.

"He wanted us to settle down," Butt told listeners on his and Scholes' Football's Greatest Eras podcast.

"When we took our girlfriends to the FA Cup final against Chelsea, he made a big fuss... and sat down with them. When you look back at it he just wanted us mired down, so we couldn't go out. Very clever."

Agreeing with his former team-mate, Scholes added that Fergie had once warned his parents that their son was "out drinking too much", and also persuaded him to buy a suburban house, in a bid to curb any unprofessional behaviour.

Amazingly, this isn't the first time ex-players have described Sir Alex's interest in their love life. According to another former United star in Paul Ince, one of the three questions the manager would ask new singings was 'have you got a girlfriend?'

Assuming the answer was yes,