Page 87 - Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography

release strengths he was perhaps unaware he had. Maybe he had been in a routine at Spurs, where he
was the deeper midfield player and seldom found his way into the box. With us, he found new
qualities in his game.
He’s a fine player, Michael. He was a shy boy who needed to be shaken at times. He doesn’t start

seasons particularly well, for reasons we struggled to understand and which we talked to him about,
but generally came right about the end of October. There is a casualness about him that causes people
to misunderstand his value and his constitution.
As I left, Mourinho returned to Chelsea, who, in an earlier phase, were home to my favourite
foreign player in the Premier League – outside United, of course. Gianfranco Zola was a marvel. I
will always remember a goal he scored against us at Stamford Bridge when he drew his foot back to
shoot and then paused before the execution. While Zola was devising his artistic finish, Big Pally

came sliding in and carried on going while Zola dragged it back. Oh, the stick Pally got that day.
Bryan Robson said: ‘Any chance of you staying on your feet?’ But I loved Zola, because he played
with a smile.