Alex Ferguson signed a contract with Manchester United in 2010 that ensured he would receive a higher salary than any of his players.

Ferguson claims the club’s owners, the Glazer family, and then chief executive, David Gill, asked him how he felt about the fact that Wayne Rooney was about to get a big pay rise by signing a new deal following protracted negotiations that took place while he was also linked with other clubs in the media.

The former United manager recalls: “I told them I did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made and [the joint-chairman] Joel Glazer immediately said: ‘I totally agree with you but what should we do?’

“It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me. We agreed in less time than it takes to read the previous sentence.”