Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t very fond of international breaks because they disrupted his Manchester United players mid-season when his priority was results.
The 2025/26 campaign kicked off in August, and the Premier League has already been forced to take two breaks for internationals.
Perhaps one of the biggest talking points in modern football is the increased workload on professional players.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is an example amid fears in the past from fans that he could burn out. The 31-year-old averages over 50 games a year for club and country without any signs of slowing down ahead of a World Cup year.
With 18 United players currently on international break, Ruben Amorim will hope they can all return this week without any fresh injuries or niggles.
The last thing United needs is setbacks before travelling to face Liverpool on Sunday.
Sir Alex Ferguson said international friendlies are a ‘waste of time’
Throughout his 26-year reign at United, Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles with a strong desire to protect his players.
The legendary Scot, who managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, became increasingly frustrated with football over the years due to three key points.
Firstly, Ferguson felt that the timing of international breaks interfered with the ambitions he had for the team. There was also that increased risk of player fatigue and injury.
Last but not least, Ferguson famously hit out at international friendlies for being ‘a waste of time’ in 2011.
Speaking to US digital station Sirius XM (via The Guardian), Ferguson said: “I am in favour of the competitions. The players should play in the major competitions; the European Championship, the World Cup.
“But friendlies are a waste of time as far as I am concerned. We always say that. It is understandable for the coach. They have the players for a period when they can influence them and can build and shape their team. I can understand that completely.
“But every time there are friendlies you get six or seven call-offs. It is sometimes worthless for the manager to build on that because of the lack of players.”
Sir Alex Ferguson rule for Man Utd internationals
Former United captain Wayne Rooney claims Ferguson had a strict rule for United players away on international duty.
Rooney, who scored 53 goals in 120 England appearances, played a key role in the England setup during the mid-2000s.
The former Three Lions striker was aware that Ferguson wasn’t a fan of releasing his players for international duty, especially midseason.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, he said Ferguson would warn the England manager that his players should play “no more than 45 minutes”.
Rooney said: “I always remember Sir Alex Ferguson before we’d go in for some of the games, I’m sure he’d speak to the England manager as well. He’d be like: ‘Right, you, no more than 45 minutes. Make sure you come off after 45 minutes or you only play 45 minutes.’
“So, I’d get to England and I’d be like: ‘Boss, I want to play 90 minutes. I want to play the full game, don’t take me off,’ because I used to love playing. Some players were different and some players were protecting themselves with injuries as well, especially in the friendly games. But I used to love going.”
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