Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet the FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterLee Sharpe arrived at Manchester United in 1988 with the club on the cusp of a new era.Alex Ferguson had been installed as manager two years earlier and after overcoming a few early bumps in the road - including the infamous Ta-Ra Fergie banner - the team took flight, with Sharpe a key component in the early 1990s.During this time he was part of an Old Trafford dressing room that was packed with big characters and big personalities, with two men in particular leaving a lasting impression on the eight-time England international.Article continues below You may like Sunderland were going places under Roy Keane, but when the results dipped, he was off Phil Bardsley on his former Man United team-mates Black Cats managerial stint I didnt understand what Roy Keane was shouting at me, so I just told him about winning the 2002 World Cup in Portuguese he looked so confused! Kleberson on the language barrier that kept Keane and Fergie hairdryers at bay at Manchester United Manchester United legend undermines Old Trafford summer recruitment Lee Sharpe on the leaders who set the standard at Manchester UnitedSharpe had just turned 17 when Manchester United signed his from Torquay United at the end of the 1987/88 campaign and he still remembers the authority that the Red Devils then-skipper Bryan Robson carried at the club.When I arrived at Manchester United, he ran the show, dictated the pace of play, knew exactly what the game needed at any given moment and would protect everyone else, Sharpe recalls to FourFourTwo.He goes on to further highlight just how the man known as Captain Marvel was able to act as an enforcer and a leader simultaneously.When I first played at left-back, he was never more than 10 yards away every time I got the ball. If anybody kicked me, hed make sure there was retribution!Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.When Robson left the club for Middlesbrough in 1994 he had been Manchester Uniteds longest-serving captain, but Ferguson was one step ahead when it came to replacing him.A year earlier, Fergie had broken the British transfer record to sign Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest, a player who quickly brought the same levels of intensity to the clubs midfield.Keany would tackle his own grandmother to get three points, Sharpe adds, before rounding out the former Republic of Ireland skippers off-the-pitch persona.Off the field, hes one of the funniest men that Ive ever met, he continues. A great lad in the dressing room and we had some top nights out.He wasnt scary to me, but was for a lot of others there were a few peoples shoes I wouldnt like to have been in!With me, he was a pussycat.TOPICSManchester UnitedPremier LeagueJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromChris FlanaganSenior Staff Writer
