Eight areas of inspiration for Mike Phelan

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.

Clearly worth putting out there again #TomBrady #TampaBayBuccaneers work ethic creativity #leadership what a performance 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/4BgUSHnPl9

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) February 8, 2021

Out there while everyone else sleeps 😴 That’s what separates the best from the rest. Minor detail, self reflection, self development ..... what will you do and why tomorrow 🤷‍♂️ @McIlroyRory and @haza136 pic.twitter.com/0OihpXFu5K

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) January 20, 2021

5 minutes without a miss ...... interesting 🤔 love to see athletes practicing and repeating ‘scoring’ from a realistic game winning position. Great video 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/v9G39txQaQ

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) December 27, 2020

Decent article on one of the worlds finest sportsmen and athletes #KobeBryant . Always interested in studying how the best get better https://t.co/SKQ7vQL5LO pic.twitter.com/TD21SauwL0

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) September 28, 2020

“Jordan’s consistency wasn’t an accident or a genetic gift. In Jordan’s last years with the team, he had the “Breakfast Club,” an early morning session with Scottie Pippen and Ron Harper”. By the time Grover arrived, Jordan was already in the gym...... 🧐👀💪🏼 ... pic.twitter.com/mq4xZXYusy

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) May 9, 2020

This is some serious TV. The very nature of elite sport as it was intended. Get your pen and paper out and watch. More in here for any player or coach than on any webinar or course if you can decipher it ... There’s the challenge 😉 pic.twitter.com/u88sAgVmxN

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) May 6, 2020

Back on air with @educityofficial tomorrow as part of the #GrowthMindset series @SoccerLtd @HorrocksDavid @wansaifuddin @GB8Ltd here’s a great story and example from #SteveJobs founder of @Apple pic.twitter.com/IYOnVNiI8J

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) January 31, 2021

Anyway, back to my book. Always something to learn from those who never gave in and are willing to push their limits and any perceived boundaries to succeed #alwayslearning 😉 pic.twitter.com/Q5yAVDlUoI

— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) September 2, 2020