Sir Alex Ferguson once told Gary Neville to "keep that f****** armband" in a bid to avoid a row involving star man Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portugal international, 37, is in the news again after storming down the tunnel during Manchester United's 2-0 win against Tottenham on Wednesday evening. Erik ten Hag has since confirmed Ronaldo refused to play in the Premier League fixture.
Ten Hag is trying to find a way to keep Ronaldo onside, as the veteran forward is no longer a regular starter at Old Trafford. One man who is an expert at man management is legendary boss Ferguson, as Neville recalled during an interview with Sky Sports in January.
"I got injured a year after taking the captaincy and I felt I didn't contribute as a captain should do," said Neville. "I went to see Sir Alex in pre-season, we had an amazing team of great personalities and players, and said I don't feel worthy of being captain.
"And he said, 'You'll keep that f***** armband, son. You and [Ryan] Giggs will rotate it'. He said 'if I give it to Ronaldo, [Wayne] Rooney will kick off. If I give it to [Nemanja] Vidic, [Rio] Ferdinand will kick off'. It was for camaraderie, we were the policemen in the dressing room, keeping things together but I felt unworthy at that stage."
Ten Hag is trying to prove himself as a strong leader - just like Ferguson was - amid Ronaldo's latest fiasco. He's confirmed the player will not feature against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, and he trained on his own on Friday morning.
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When asked if Ronaldo refused to come on against Tottenham in his Friday press conference, Ten Hag simply said: "Yes."
He went on to explain: "What the talk - if you ask about that - is between Cristiano and me. The statement is also clear, I think. He remains an important player in the squad.
"I am the manager, I am responsible for the culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them. In the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that."
Ronaldo immediately left the stadium after storming down the tunnel on Wednesday evening, rather than stay around to congratulate his team-mates on their huge win. United are now just one point behind Chelsea in fourth following the result.
It's the second time Ronaldo has done that in recent months. He left Old Trafford during United's pre-season friendly against Ray Vallecano in July and Ten Hag has insisted he could not let Ronaldo get away with that behaviour again.
He added: "After Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable but not him everyone, this is the second time, there are consequences. We miss him tomorrow. It's a miss for the squad but it's important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important."
