The revelation came as the former England boss recalled his first few weeks as a manager with Middlesbrough in 2001. I've gone, 'I've got to play him with this team, not Man United'. ‌After such a tough start to his reign, McClaren soon realised he couldn't play like United with inferior players. He admitted: "There was no way I could play the Man United way, I had to have a rethink. Following that year's World Cup, he replaced Eriksson as England boss, only to be sacked after the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Source: Daily Mirror February 08, 2026 13:45 UTC