Letter handed to Sir Alex Ferguson shows how angry Man Utd fans reacted to Paul Ince’s transfer in 1995

Sir Alex Ferguson came under immense pressure from Manchester United fans following Paul Ince’s transfer in 1995. The Guvnor was one of three key players sold that summer.

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was renowned for his transfer acumen during his 27 years at Old Trafford. That doesn’t overlook the many mistakes he made, but the positives certainly outweighed the negatives.

The 84-year-old often knew when the right time was to move on players, even if Roy Keane would disagree after his fallout with the manager in 2005. Jaap Stam is a prime example of a player who left United too early, as one of the top defenders in European football.

Ahead of the 1995/96 season, Ferguson decided to cash in on star trio Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul Ince, and Mark Hughes. This led to United fans doubting not just the team but Ferguson and his ambition. It wasn’t the only time he went on to prove critics wrong.

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One of United’s star trio to leave in 1995 was Ince, an England international, among the best midfielders in the country at the time. He’d made 281 appearances after signing from West Ham in 1989 in a deal worth £1m.

Ince left as a crucial member of United’s engine room after Ferguson chose to sell the 53-cap England international to Inter Milan for £7.5m. He would spend two years in Italy before returning to the Premier League to sign for arch rivals Liverpool.

Along with Kanchelskis, a direct winger from Russia, and academy graduate Hughes, leaving Old Trafford for the second time of his career, Fergie was taking a gamble. However, the fans made the manager aware of their outrage at selling Ince.

As speculation over Ince’s transfer to Inter Milan emerged, it was protested by many supporters uncertain about the direction the team was going in. Angry letters were handed to Ferguson outside Old Trafford, which, when seen today, is proof that fan toxicity existed even prior to social media.

One letter has emerged on X, dated 22 June, 1995, which begins with “Dear (so-called) Manager,” which immediately questions Ferguson’s integrity as manager. The Scot is also labelled an “idiot” and “traitor”.

Copy of a letter handed to Sir Alex outside Old Trafford in ‘95 protesting the sale of Paul Ince.

Proof that fan toxicity against players and manager existed even prior to Twitter, in the middle of the glory days.

Now that we can look back at these things in hindsight, we can recall how Ferguson pulled off a masterstroke by selling Ince along with Kanchelskis and Hughes. It was one of the greatest masterstrokes in English football history, all things considered.

There were some awful performances in United’s 1995/96 season. It still turned into one of the most spectacular Premier League comebacks.

Ferguson began the campaign under scrutiny after selling experienced players to integrate academy players – the Class of ’92 – such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, and Nicky Butt.

After Eric Cantona returned from his eight-month ban in October 1995, it proved pivotal. The Frenchman became the catalyst for success. The Reds trailed Newcastle by 12 points before overtaking them to win the Premier League title.

United won 13 of their final 15 league matches, sealing the Premier League title on the final day of the season, with a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough. Keegan’s Newcastle finished as runners-up.