Sheff Utd’s Oliver Norwood reveals Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘special words’ drove him to Premier League promotion

SIR ALEX FERGUSON'S prediction on Oliver Norwood has finally come true.

The Sheffield United midfield ace has won three successive promotions to the Premier League but never played a game in the top-flight.

But that's all set to change next season with Blades boss Chris Wilder ready to give the 28-year-old his chance to fulfil his Prem dream.

And playing in the big-time brings back the memory of hearing Ferguson's words of wisdom when Norwood left Manchester United in 2012.

Norwood told SunSport: "I spoke to Sir Alex when I left and he said to me, 'You're not going to make it at Manchester United but one day you will be a Premier League player.'

"They were special and kind words, I'm not sure if he meant it or not but hearing that from the greatest manager of all-time gave me the drive, determination and belief I could make it.

“I said to my wife, Abigail, I'll get there one day. No one was going to deny me that opportunity.

"Playing in the Premier League has been my goal since I started playing at six and thankfully I've found a manager who will give me that chance."

I'm not sure if he meant it or not but hearing that from the greatest manager of all-time gave me the drive, determination and belief I could make it

Oliver Norwood on Sir Alex Ferguson's special words

Spells at Brighton and Fulham saw Norwood win promotion from the Championship but the Prem door closed both times.

In fact, the only place the Blades anchorman has watched a Prem game live is Old Trafford. And on June 13 he will find out when Wilder's men travel to the Theatre of Dreams to face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Red Devils.

Norwood, who came through the ranks with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, added: "We used to go to Old Trafford every couple of weeks because as an academy player we'd get two season tickets.

"I saw United's greatest years, the trophies and the football they played. I look out for Burnley's results because that's where I'm from but I was at United from six to 21 so that's the game I'll look out for first.

"I'll be emotional walking out at Old Trafford for a Premier League game. And it's unreal Ole is now the manager - he was my boss for the reserves so it will be nice to see him again."

LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

So what can Norwood remember of his time around the United first-team?

"Paul Scholes," beams the 57-cap Northern Irishman without hesitation. "He's my favourite all-time player. I trained with him and it was great to be up close, watch and learn from him. “He’d controlled the tempo of a game and made it look so easy. I watched him for free in training but people would pay a lot of money to see that.

"I didn't play for United but I made the squad twice, once in the FA Cup against Crawley and then away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

"Michael Owen scored a hat-trick and I got a signed shirt which was nice to keep. I was in shock and awe of being in the dressing room but it gave me a taste of how world-class players prepare.

"United set me up for life with a great education. Coaches like Paul McGuinness, Warren Joyce and Ole did so much work with the young players not just on the field but also off it. They gave me life skills, on how to conduct myself and be a good human being.

"Reserve team football wasn't real, it was comfortable and I wanted to make a career so it was easy to leave. I had to take two or three steps back to move forward."

Promotion king Norwood has taken the scenic route to the top, loan stints at Carlisle, Scunthorpe and Coventry while at United, before spells at Huddersfield and Reading.

Norwood admits: "At Carlisle, I thought, 'Bloody hell, I'm not good enough'. League One was tough but United knew what they were doing. It was rough and tumble but a good learning experience.

“Even when I left United for Huddersfield in the Championship, I struggled. It took me four years to find my feet."

It was at Brighton where his first promotion to the Prem happened in 2017. Yet a heart-to-heart conversation with Chris Hughton saw his top-flight dream crushed.

Everyone at Sheffield United has a point to prove. We were doubted all season but that only spurred us on

Oliver Norwood

Norwood said: "The manager was upfront and honest and told me the club were going in another direction and I respected his decision.

“I took the opportunity to go out on loan and Fulham was a good option. I enjoyed the season but after we got promoted in the playoffs they wanted to get bigger and better.

“I wanted to stay but in hindsight, things have worked out perfectly for me.

"I'm lucky to have been part of history for three very good football teams. Managers want different things and you have to respect that.

"My little boy Pierce is only three and I suppose he's been a lucky charm. There will be no promotion next season so he'll probably think it's boring!

"Everyone at Sheffield United has a point to prove. We were doubted all season that we weren't good enough but that only fuelled our fire and spurred us on."

During the promotion celebrations this week, Blades team-mate John Egan name-checked Norwood's passing skills as his 'f*****g ping' in a remix of the 'Allez, Allez, Allez' song.

Norwood, who faces Stoke today but will undergo a hernia operation this summer, ruling him out of Norn Iron's Euro 2020 qualifiers away to Estonia and Belarus next month, added: "It's an unbelievable song. John could be a singer or songwriter. It showed the camaraderie in the squad.

"I've heard you get more time on the ball in the Prem so hopefully it suits me. I’m reaching my prime and I feel there’s more to come.

“I've played with the hernia since Christmas and it's been difficult. I missed the internationals in March as it was important to manage it but I'm booked in for the op and I'll be back raring to go for pre-season. I can't wait for the new season to start."