Gascoigne reveals brutal letter from Sir Alex after Man United snub

Paul Gascoigne has revealed the letter sent to him by Sir Alex Ferguson after he snubbed a move to Manchester United.

Gascoigne has long-been viewed as one of the biggest cult heroes in all of English football and while he’s faced many obstacles along the way, he’s still held in incredibly high esteem by some of the game’s most recognised figures.

Back in the late 1980s, Gazza was proving himself as one of England’s most sought-after talents during his time with Newcastle United. He was playing so well that he attracted the attention of many top clubs across Europe, including Manchester United – with Gascoigne even giving Alex Ferguson his word that he’d sign for the Red Devils.

As you can imagine, Fergie wasn’t too pleased to come back from holiday and learn that his top target wound up signing for Tottenham Hotspur.

The infamous letter

During a recent interview with talkSPORT, Gascoigne opened up about the hostile response he received from the iconic Scottish manager.

“I thought, ‘He’s going to go off on it with me, Sir Alex Ferguson’. I was petrified. 

“I was a mile away from Spurs and I get a call from my sister, she said, ‘If mum and dad are getting a house, I want a sunbed!’ So I think the deal was done on a sunbed.”

“I was getting fan mail by the dozens and I got this big one, it was from Sir Alex Ferguson,” Gascoigne said. 

“He hammered me, ‘You stupid, fat b******’. He told me he had the choice to be manager of Barcelona and Real Madrid – but he chose the biggest club in the world. 

“It took him six years to speak to me again.”

Gascoigne spent four years at White Hart Lane before stints with Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton.

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