Sir Alex Ferguson ‘never got on’ with Gary Lineker – and MOTD star has reignited feud

Gary Lineker has reignited his long-standing feud with Sir Alex Ferguson - stating he "doesn't care" about the legendary Manchester United manager's opinion.

The 63-year-old Match of the Day presenter had a very public disagreement with Ferguson during his tenure at Old Trafford, and their relationship has remained frosty ever since.

This was highlighted in the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, which Lineker co-hosts with BBC colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, where they often engage in 'start, bench, sell' games.

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Lineker recounted an interaction with a fan who had won an auction item to visit the MOTD set, saying: "We had four guys last night and one of them said 'ah I love the podcast, I've got one for you'. And he said, let me remember who it was for you, he said, it was Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Bobby Robson.

"And I thought to myself 'right, I would never want to, I couldn't possibly get rid of Bobby Robson, I just wouldn't'. So I think I'd go Pep Guardiola (keep), Bobby Robson (bench) and then Sir Alex Ferguson (sell), because I never got on with him anyway so I don't care what he thinks."

When questioned by former Man City right-back Richards about his strained relationship with Ferguson, Lineker responded: "He's had a few jibes at me over the years. He was a bit anti-BBC I think, but anyway."

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The root of their disagreement can be traced back to a magazine interview that the former England striker gave in the late 2000s, reports the Mirror. He discussed managers' post-match frustrations and perceptions of media bias, later mentioning Sir Alex.

However, Lineker alleges that his comments were manipulated to appear as if they were directly related to Ferguson. Despite his attempts to clarify this to the United manager, he was not convinced.

In a subsequent 2008 interview with Sir David Frost, Ferguson claimed that Lineker was "not whiter than white like they all think" and accused him of having "super-injunctions all over the place", allegations which Lineker denied.

Despite their differences, both men spoke at Sir Bobby Robson's memorial in the following year and maintained a civil demeanour. However, it is alleged that Ferguson snubbed Lineker's handshake attempt at restaurant Riva when they crossed paths a few years ago.

From 2004 to 2011, Ferguson refused to take questions from the Beeb after they broadcast a documentary about his son Jason, an agent, which he believed misrepresented him.