Kanchelskis gets pranked
It’s fair to say things could have turned out very differently for Andrei Kanchelskis at Man United.
The Russian winger was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in 1991 and helped bring the team their first title in twenty-six years in 1993.
However, he didn’t exactly endear himself to new boss Alex Ferguson on their first meeting, after his limited English led to him being the subject to a prank from his new teammates.
In his autobiography, Russian Winters, Kanchelskis writes:
Whenever a foreign footballer comes into a dressing room, he will be taught how to swear. I’ve seen exactly the same thing with Brazilian players when I have been managing in Russia. They also taught me the correct way to address the manager of Manchester United.
Almost the first time I came across Alex Ferguson in the corridors of the Cliff, he said to me, “All right, Andrei, how’s it going?”
I smiled at him and replied, “Fuck off, Scottish bastard.”
Ferguson stopped dead in his tracks and then began to smile as he heard laughter echoing down the corridor, while I stood there bewildered.
Kanchelskis would go on to make 161 appearances for Man Utd, claiming two league titles, before departing for Everton in 1995.
