Eight areas of inspiration for Mike Phelan

Saturday 17 April 2021 08:00

There are so many lessons to be learned outside of football, both in terms of elite performance and mentality – something Manchester United assistant coach Mike Phelan knows all too well.

The open-minded club legend is always on the lookout for external inspiration and regularly uses his official Twitter account to share his favourite sources of motivation with followers. 

Phelan has long held a passion for education throughout his respective playing and coaching careers, but this was undoubtedly stoked during his successful period working alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously inspired his players in all manner of unique ways. 

Our former manager's team talks have become the stuff of legend, but he also had other means: the boss was known to take his players to military ‘away days’ in the early 1990s and, near the end of his reign, he invited the Chilean Miners to visit before an important league match against Arsenal.

There were more simple methods, too: Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about Sir Alex’s office housing a photo of 11 New York construction workers eating atop a high-rise crossbeam, while Rio Ferdinand has joked how he stopped training to highlight flocks of geese flying in a perfect formation, to emphasise teamwork. 

Phelan's experience is a vital tool at the Aon Training Complex and it appears he shares Sir Alex's appreciation for success stories away from football.

Mike has repeatedly shown his admiration for excellence on Twitter, where our assistant manager has highlighted the likes of NFL legend Tom Brady, golf hero Rory McIlroy and NBA behemoth Michael Jordan, to name just a few.

Mike has even drawn inspiration from the worlds of business and the arts, sharing lessons taught by Apple genius Steve Jobs and famed film-maker Oliver Stone. 

Want to see what we mean?

Scroll down to see some of our favourite moments of inspiration from Phelan's must-follow Twitter account, which you can find via @Mike_Phelan_1.

Make sure you follow Mike Phelan on Twitter via @Mike_Phelan_1... particularly if you're looking for inspiration!

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