Sir Alex Ferguson may have had a fantastic eye for potential when at Manchester United, particularly with academy prospects, but it appears he wasn't immediately hooked on Paul Scholes.
The United icon won 11 league titles and made over 700 appearances for the club over his whole career under Ferguson, and is regarded as one of the best players in Premier League history.
Scholes was a member of Fergie's Class of 92, which helped the club dominate the English top flight for many years, alongside some of the most well-known players of the era.
While Gary Neville was known to have put in a lot of effort to get to where he was, most people believe Scholes had it easier and that Fergie was aware of this.
However, this is not the case, as the famed Scotsman had one significant reservation about the ginger ace during his academy days.
"He's got no chance, he's a dwarf," Fergie said Jim Ryan when he first saw Scholes play for United's youth squad in the 1980s, according to FourFourTwo.
Scholes' height didn't deter him in the end. Image courtesy of PA Images
Years later, in an interview, the manager admitted that he'd made a mistake with the Salford native and that he'd never been allowed to forget it. "That's become a running joke," the former Aberdeen manager said, "Jim never lets me forget that early assessment and I have to hold my hands up."
"You could tell he had a lot of talent, but he was so small."
"Paul is one in a million, and I was left thinking about how incredibly fortunate United has been to have him on our team."
The midfielder was asked if it was true that he used to ping balls at the manager's head in training during his interview with FourFourTwo, and the 45-year-old confirmed the allegation, saying, "Yes, that's a bit true!" I wouldn't go after the manager, but I might smack one close by to attempt to wake him up.
Ferguson changed his mind about Scholes quickly. Image courtesy of Images
"I didn't make the mistake of aiming squarely at his skull."
"He'd glance around to see who did it, and despite the fact that I was standing in a mob of approximately eight guys, I'd always get the blame!" I do recall hitting Phil [Neville] in the head with a cracker from afar once.
"It knocked him out - it was hilarious!"
Scholes isn't as impressed with the current United team as he was with the ones before them, even the ones he was a part of.
Off the field, the former England international was known for his quiet demeanor, but as a BT Sport analyst, he has found his voice.
Following United's Champions League elimination to Atletico Madrid in midweek, he and former teammate Rio Ferdinand ripped into the Red Devils.
It's not the first time, and Scholes isn't a fan of Ralf Rangnick; nevertheless, his opinion is unlikely to change as dramatically as Fergie's...
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