Steve McClaren was Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man at Manchester United

It was the most important match in Manchester United history, yet Steve McClaren was petrified of the starting line-up Sir Alex Ferguson put together to face Bayern Munich

Steve McClaren has said he did everything he could to change Sir Alex Ferguson’s team selection before Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League final clash against Bayern Munich.

Ferguson, who is now 82, was never one to shuffle his choice of starting XI at United. After the Red Devils progressed past Juventus in the semi-final, Roy Keane’s suspension forced United into making some huge changes.

As well as being the United captain, Keane was a vital, box-to-box presence who would be difficult to replace. To make up for the energy and creativity they’d lose in the final, Ferguson had to be cute and clever with his team.

However, he had also promised Jesper Blomqvist, who missed the FA Cup Final, he would play against the German giants. When McClaren saw the likes of David Beckham and Ryan Giggs had to be shifted from their usual positions to make way for the ex-AC Milan and Everton star, McClaren did his best to change Ferguson’s mind.

“‘I’ve told Jespar he’s going to be playing on the left’,” McClaren recalled Fergie telling him in the new 99 documentary on Prime Video. “[I said] ‘How do we shuffle that then? Where’s Giggs going to play?’

“‘[He replied] We can put Giggs on the right, Beckham in the middle, with Butt’. [I said] ‘Okay, could we not change that around and put Beckham on the right and Giggs on the left and we’d have to tell Jesper that, because of the suspension, things have changed?’

Blomqvist did not let Ferguson down (Image:Popperfoto via Getty Images)
“'[Ferguson replied] Jesper plays because I told him he is playing’. That’s what he gave to players, that trust.” While also speaking about the surprising managerial decision, Blomqvist admitted Ferguson’s trust gave him the extra boost of confidence he needed.

“The manager told me quite early I was going to play because I wasn’t in the FA Cup or the last game of the Premier League,” Blomqvist said.

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The Swede added: “It gave me energy to work and be on my toes. But it also made me a little bit nervous. It was the biggest game of my career.” Blomqvist would go on to start the match at the Nou Camp as Ferguson promised.

United went on to win the Champions League to secure the treble (Image:Allsport)
He almost found the net in the first half, but was eventually substituted for Teddy Sheringham in the 67th minute. The striker would go on to convert United’s 91st minute equaliser, before fellow substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored an iconic winner two minutes later to beat the German giants and secure a historic Treble.

Blomqvist was not able to build on his impressive showing in Barcelona, as a serious knee injury derailed his next two seasons at Old Trafford. He did not play another game during that time, resulting in the Red Devils choosing not to renew his contract in 2001.

99 is available exclusively on Prime Video on 17th May when all three parts will drop globally

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