Rio Ferdinand names Sir Alex Ferguson's two most rousing Man United team talks

Sir Alex Ferguson once labelled Arsenal players 'babies' during a team talk, it has been revealed by one of his former Manchester United stars.

Ferguson regularly clashed with his Gunners' rival Arsene Wenger down the years, with some memorable battles on and off the pitch against the London outfit.

Along with Liverpool, they were one of United's arch-rivals during Ferguson's long and hugely successful tenure at Old Trafford. Now, Rio Ferdinand has opened up about some of the jibes his old manager used to dish out pre-match.

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Speaking to William Hill’s Stripped Podcast, a new series in which former footballers and celebrities are invited to take a trip down memory lane by revisiting their favourite shirts, Ferdinand discussed the Scot's rousing dressing room speeches.

He said: “The most iconic team talk Sir Alex Ferguson ever gave was when we played Liverpool at Anfield once.

"He just said, ‘I don’t even need to talk to you, really. It’s the worst Liverpool team I’ve ever seen on a team sheet’. That was it. And then yeah, we won that day.

"And then something he used to say about Arsenal during his team talks was, ‘Get in their faces. They don’t like it, they can’t deal with it. They’re babies. Get right up against them and you’ll win this game. Rio, you’ll overrun them, you’ll overpower them…’”

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