Robbie Savage was upset with Man United exit that he crashed car within hours of departure
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Robbie Savage has revealed that he crashed his car after hearing Sir Alex Ferguson was releasing him from Manchester United.
Savage played for United at youth level and was a member of the famous Class of '92 squad, but the tough-tackling midfielder never played a first team game for the English giants.
"Almost every young player has to be able to deal with knock-backs. I know I did," the 40-year-old wrote in his BBC Sport column.
"I was with United between the ages of 14 and 19, when Sir Alex Ferguson told me I wasn't going to be good enough to play for that football club.
"I drove home far too fast with his words buzzing in my head and crashed my car.
"Lying in my hospital bed, I felt like my life was over. The biggest thing for me was telling my parents I had been released and it felt like a death sentence.
"Not only had I lost my job - although I did not think of it like that at the time - I had lost my best mates, who I had grown up with over the past five years. I was a teenager back living at home and thinking 'what am I going to do?'"
The Welshman then signed for Crewe Alexandra and proved himself as a highly competent young player at the club.
He added: "(Crewe manager) Dario Gradi phoned me up and I went to play under him at Crewe but, in my first year there, I was nowhere near the first team.
"It was a different way of life to go from playing with Ryan Giggs and winning every week, to playing League Two football against grown men who were putting their bodies on the line to make sure they had a livelihood.
"I was used to playing against people my own age and suddenly I was in an environment where I was physically small. I was thinking, 'I have got no chance here - am I best off going to do something else?'.
"So I can see why some young players might walk away from the game when they get released by big clubs, but there was something inside me that made me carry on and I got my break in the end."
Savage played for United at youth level and was a member of the famous Class of '92 squad, but the tough-tackling midfielder never played a first team game for the English giants.
"Almost every young player has to be able to deal with knock-backs. I know I did," the 40-year-old wrote in his BBC Sport column.
"I was with United between the ages of 14 and 19, when Sir Alex Ferguson told me I wasn't going to be good enough to play for that football club.
"I drove home far too fast with his words buzzing in my head and crashed my car.
"Lying in my hospital bed, I felt like my life was over. The biggest thing for me was telling my parents I had been released and it felt like a death sentence.
"Not only had I lost my job - although I did not think of it like that at the time - I had lost my best mates, who I had grown up with over the past five years. I was a teenager back living at home and thinking 'what am I going to do?'"
The Welshman then signed for Crewe Alexandra and proved himself as a highly competent young player at the club.
He added: "(Crewe manager) Dario Gradi phoned me up and I went to play under him at Crewe but, in my first year there, I was nowhere near the first team.
"It was a different way of life to go from playing with Ryan Giggs and winning every week, to playing League Two football against grown men who were putting their bodies on the line to make sure they had a livelihood.
"I was used to playing against people my own age and suddenly I was in an environment where I was physically small. I was thinking, 'I have got no chance here - am I best off going to do something else?'.
"So I can see why some young players might walk away from the game when they get released by big clubs, but there was something inside me that made me carry on and I got my break in the end."
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