Sir Alex Ferguson pep talk can help inspire England to World Cup glory, says boss Shaun Wane

SHAUN WANE is ready to go down the Fergie route now he is in charge of England.

And if he comes anywhere close to the effect Sir Alex Ferguson had in getting the best out of his team, then that will do just fine.

The new England rugby league chief was bowled over by Ferguson when the then-Manchester United boss came to speak to Wane’s Wigan Warriors back in 2011.

Now Wane, 55, has the World Cup in his sights — and will use some of the lessons Fergie passed on.

Wane said: “I was hammering him with questions about different things, about who does he look up to?

“He just took everything in his stride and he had an aura about him.

“He came for an hour but ended up staying for four. He loved the environment. I remember just listening and hanging on every word he said. We were going down to Wembley and had to get measured for our suits.

“My chief executive was texting me, saying, ‘You’ve got to come down’.

“But I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m saying to Alex Ferguson, ‘I need to go’. I wasn’t bothered about my suit.

“I just wanted to sit down and talk to him. He was just so knowledgeable about everything and nothing was flashy, everything was simple.

“It was a real eye-opener for me. We had many good speakers at Wigan but Alex Ferguson was the man.”

Wane hopes his first big job will be winning the Ashes against Australia with the series — Covid-19 permitting — due to start in late October.

But he is staying calm and, speaking to pupils at VSI Executive Education, he revealed that is another lesson he learned from fiery Fergie.

He added: “I was so impressed when I met him, it was untrue.

“He’s made a real long-lasting impression on me. It was his knowledge and he was laid back and easy going.

“Also how he spoke to the players. When he sat down, I was just in awe.”