Manchester United flop Nick Powell was once slapped with a fine for a crude 'your mum' joke.
Powell was tipped for big things at Old Trafford after sealing a £6million switch as a teenager in 2012. The former Crewe Alexandra prospect even netted on his debut in an emphatic home win over Wigan Athletic.
However, Powell would go on to make just two more Premier League appearances before joining the Latics four years later. The attacker failed to impress in loan spells at Leicester and Hull City, with the Red Devils allowing the former England youth international to leave as a free agent.
Powell managed to get his career back on track at Wigan and has spent the last three seasons in the Championship with Stoke City. However, it has also emerged that the now-28-year-old managed to get himself into trouble during his spell at the DW Stadium.
A snapshot of the Latics fine board in 2019 has gone viral on social media. Powell is one of a host of offenders listed, as players were disciplined for a number of offences such as 'no GPS' or failing to clean up.
However, the former United star stood out for an unusual case of 'disrespect'. Powell was hit with a £20 fine after being heard saying 'I tooled your mum', although it is not clear who the jibe was directed against.
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Powell later revealed his failed stint with the Red Devils saw him fall out of love with the sport. He previously told the Manchester Evening News: “I didn’t feel like I was part of anything at the time. I was in limbo between reserves and first-team.
“I remember people trying to find me because I was late to a reserve game, reserve training, first-team training - purely because I didn’t know where I was supposed to be. I’d get onto one training pitch and I’d be told, ‘no, you’re over there this week’ and I’d be 10, 15 minutes late and I’d be getting fined. But nobody was talking to me, I didn’t know where I was supposed to be.”
News of Powell's unusual fine from his time at Wigan has been shared in the wake of Erik ten Hag's reported rule changes at United. The former Ajax boss has been tasked with a major rebuild following the club's worst ever Premier League season last term.
Ten Hag is making early moves to quell the seemingly toxic dressing-room atmosphere, with the Dutchman urging players to come to him before their agents to address problems. The 52-year-old has also warned anyone found to leak information will be axed.
Lateness will also not be tolerated, regardless of the player's status in the squad. A ban has been put in place on alcohol during matchweeks, while club chefs have been urged to prepare meals for the players ahead of any personal catering staff.
