MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he almost quit football before a rollicking from his mother changed his mind.

MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he almost quit football before a rollicking from his mother changed his mind.

Ferguson was struggling to make his mark at St Johnstone in the 1960s and, after returning from a broken cheekbone to lose three consecutive reserve games, he thought about hanging up his boots.

That was until his mother intervened.

“On the Friday, my brother's girlfriend phoned up my manager at St Johnstone and told him I had the flu. But when I arrived home from a night at the swimming baths with my pals, my mother tore into me.

“She said, 'I've had a telegram from your manager - get down to the telephone booth and call him'. The manager said: 'Report to the Bath Hotel tomorrow, you're playing against Rangers'.

"I scored a hat-trick and became the first player to do so against Rangers at Ibrox - it changed my life. I became a full-time footballer in the summer and never looked back.”