Man Utd star 'collared' by Ferguson fired dig at old club before £10m transfer (2025)

Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Johnstone will be back at Old Trafford with his current club, having moved to Molineux after a difficult spell with Crystal Palace

When Manchester United take on Wolves in the Premier League this weekend, Sam Johnstone has the chance to watch his current club leapfrog his former employers in the Premier League table. 'Watch' is the operative word, though, with the goalkeeper firmly second choice at Molineux.

Johnstone joined Wolves in a £10million deal from Crystal Palace over the summer, starting seven games under Gary O'Neil. Since Vitor Pereira arrived in December, though, his only action has come in the FA Cup.

It has been a difficult season for the 32-year-old, who has more than 70 top-flight appearances to his name. When he was coming through the ranks at Old Trafford, though, it looked as though the sky might be the limit, with legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson going to great lengths to keep him on board.

"He was massively involved but more so when we got to about 13," Johnstone said in a 2020 interview while at West Bromwich Albion. "Our training would be in a few different locations but when you get to 14 you’re at Carrington all the time. Sometimes we’d be playing games and the first-team and him would come and watch after training, we used to be so star-struck.

"Sir Alex is a nice guy and he has this aura about him which made you respect him right away. I’m skipping a few years now but when we got to the FA Youth Cup games he’d call the whole squad into his office. He’d put us at ease because it was probably the first time we’d played under any real pressure."

Johnstone joined United at the age of 10 and rose through the ranks, winning the FA Youth Cup in 2011 alongside future first-team stars Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard. He ultimately never made a senior appearance, but recalled the hands-on role manager Ferguson had in prolonging his stay.

"He used to do all the contracts, so I remember going in for my first one after my scholarship ended at 18/19 and he wouldn’t have anything to do with agents," the keeper added. "My agent had rung up and Sir Alex had got wind of it, I was running over for training and he collared me in front of everyone.

"He told me I was old enough to vote so I was old enough to make my own decision on the contract. Luckily I trained well that day so when I went to see him on my own he was fine. I think he was right."

After a series of successful loans, including a run to the Championship play-off final with Aston Villa in 2018, Johnstone completed a permanent move to West Bromwich Albion that same summer. He helped the Baggies win promotion to the Premier League, though he couldn't keep them up, and a Crystal Palace switch followed after West Brom missed out on promotion in 2022.

Following an injury-hit first season at Selhurst Park, he lost his starting spot to another ex-United youngster, Dean Henderson, in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign. Upon Henderson's arrival, he shared a photo with the caption “New day new [squad] number" along with four cry-laughing emojis to leave fans wondering how long he had left in South London.

“Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it down south, it was a different adventure for me and my family, but being back up north, it is home, and I’m glad to be here in front of the Wolves fans," Johnstone said upon joining Wolves. Things have been tough this term, though, with Jose Sa regaining his starting spot and not relinquishing it.

Wolves' form under Pereira suggests the manager will be in no hurry to make any dramatic changes to his set-up, either. They were 19th when the Portuguese took over, but could be mathematically safe if they win on Sunday and Ipswich fail to beat Arsenal.

Their ascent up the table was kick-started by a victory over Manchester United on Boxing Day, and a 4-0 win at Old Trafford - while improbable - would see them overtake Ruben Amorim's side on goal difference. Johnstone might be watching from the bench, but there's still some extra spice to the game after his United stint ended without a senior game.