Andrei Kanchelskis admits Sir Alex Ferguson was part of the card school at Manchester United.

However, the Double winner insists nothing ever got out of hand.

Kanchelskis told Sport 24: "During Soviet times, we played cards for money. But in England they don't play the same games as they do here. Manchester United also played for money, but without me.

"I didn't take part in their game: they had their own foursome with Sir Alex Ferguson. For me, their type of card game was incomprehensible. They mostly played for small things.

“In the USSR all this happened. At our base there was billiards, there was chess, and the guys played cards themselves. Everything should just be in moderation."