I walked into Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd office and he was holding a huge sword – I think Nelson Mandela gave it to him

A FORMER Manchester United academy starlet has revealed how he walked into Sir Alex Ferguson’s office to find the legendary Scot holding a sword.

This ex-forward forward spent seven years at Old Trafford from 1999 to 2006 but played just once in the first-team in a League Cup clash versus Leeds.

GettyFormer Man Utd ace Eddie Johnson has revealed all about Sir Alex Ferguson and his fearsome sword[/caption]

News Group Newspapers LtdHe spoke about the moment he went into Fergie’s office to seek permission to move out of his digs[/caption]

The now 39-year-old went on to play for Royal Antwerp, Coventry, Crewe, Bradford and then Austin Aztex and Portland Timbers in America.

The player in question is Eddie Johnson, who represented England from U16 to U20 level and won the FA Youth Cup with the Red Devils.

Manchester Evening News recently caught up with him, where he revealed how a chat with Gary Neville forced him to give up eating butter for a decade.

Johnson has also opened up on what players he didn’t get on with in the United squad.

Now he has revealed what happened when he went into the fearsome Fergie’s office to ask his permission to move out of the club digs and into his own place.

And he revealed that the nervous moment was made all the more intimidating as he found the fiery Scot cradling a sword.

Johnson said: “You had to go and ask him. And he had a big long sword which I think Nelson Mandela gave to him.

“And sometimes he would just sit there holding it!”

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Johnson continued: “Put it this way, I was guided where I could and couldn’t go to live, I was told how much I should pay for my rent and I stuck to that.”

After the star hung up his boots in 2012 he began embarking on a career in coaching.

He was appointed Under-20 head coach at Dundee in Scotland in 2014 and now works for the Premier League by helping assist clubs with academy football – a role that takes him back to Old Trafford on a regular basis.

Johnson added: “I can always go back in and get advice. If I was doing charity work I can go in. It still has that feel and soul even though the boss left a while ago.

“There’s a weight difference to a United player, that tag sits with you. I still get introduced as Eddie who played for United.

“Sometimes it is uncomfortable and sometimes I get the benefits. But I am proud of it.”

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