Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have shed light on how Sir Alex Ferguson responded to Alan Hansen's cutting remark that 'you can't win anything with kids'.
At the start of the 1995-96 campaign, Manchester United were at something of a crossroads after the sales of experienced heads Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis over the summer.
They started the season away at Aston Villa, calling on youngsters Gary and Phil Neville, aged 20 and 18, Butt, 20, and Scholes, 20, as well as a 20-year-old David Beckham off the bench, for the curtain-raiser.
But the match at Villa Park was a disaster as United slipped to a humiliating 3-1 defeat, with the only consolation a late strike from Beckham.
The result invited a great deal of criticism, none more famous than Hansen's remarks on Match of the Day that evening and Scholes and Butt have revealed, on Football's Greatest Eras, how the iconic manager reacted to the rant.
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have shed light on how Sir Alex Ferguson responded to Alan Hansen's cutting remark that 'you can't win anything with kids'
An opening game loss to Aston Villa invited a great deal of criticism, none more famous than Hansen's remarks on Match of the Day (pictured: Hansen, left, with host Des Lynam)
The pair, both playing that day, revealed how their manager reacting to the brutal comments
Scholes said: 'I was always depressed after a game. If we hadn't played well or we got beat, it was horrible, wasn't it? At Man United, it was horrible. It was always a disaster whenever you got beat.
'But then obviously what happened later that night with Alan Hansen, I think I used to watch Match of the Day every single Saturday, after a game. So, I'd have seen that.
'Then, the reaction towards it on the Sunday morning, the Monday, and you probably thought, "He's got a point."
Butt added: 'Alan Hansen just said what everyone was thinking. In my opinion, he was right that night. He was right.
'One thing about the manager, when you were really down and he could see that you were upset within yourself, and you knew you didn't perform, and you knew you hadn't done your right job, he left you alone.
'If he thought I was being a little bit cocky and not understanding how bad I was, he'd go at me.
'And I think that day, he must have realised, "These lads are really down, the young boys. They're really down. I'm gonna put my arm around them, I'm gonna get the old lads to put their arm around them and we'll go again on the Tuesday," or whenever it was.
'I don't think anything got mentioned about Hansen. I certainly don't, I didn't see it. I didn't see it, even though I did, it was like I'd not seen it.'
At the start of the 1995-96 campaign, Manchester United were at something of a crossroads after the sales of experienced heads including Paul Ince
In their stead, youngsters including the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, started the match
Various members of the Class of 92 (pictured, with youth team coach Eric Harrison, left) played that day
Scholes added that Ferguson stubbornly stuck with the original plan despite the disappointment of a first-day defeat.
'Looking back at it, he must have been so disappointed with what had happened. So, to have that feeling and then think, "I've got these players now, we've got them, I've got to try and get something out of them."
'So, he's probably doing a bit of acting because he must be thinking, "F*** me, these lads aren't good enough." '
Butt said: 'His bravado, you know the gaffer, his bravado would never allow him to go, "I made a mistake. Let's go and buy three players." He was always going to ride the storm.'
In the aftermath of the surprising result, Hansen told Match of the Day's millions of viewers that United stood little chance of picking up a third Premier League title.
He said: 'I think they’ve got problems, I wouldnt say they've got major problems. Three players have departed. The trick is to always buy when you're strong, so he [Ferguson] needs to buy players.
'You can't win anything with kids. You look at that Manchester United line-up today and Aston Villa when they get the team sheet it’s just going to give them a lift.
'It will happen every time he plays the kids. The trick to winning the championship is having strength in depth.'
The match at Villa Park was a disaster as United slipped to a humiliating 3-1 defeat, with the only consolation a late strike from Beckham
Ferguson (centre) won the Manager of the Season award while Eric Cantona (left) scooped Footballer of the Year in a title-winning campaign
Hansen later admitted he got the call 'dramatically wrong' but insisted that he meant 'you can't win everything with kids'
Ferguson's young side ended up proving Hansen drastically wrong, robbing the league title from Kevin Keegan's Newcastle side in the dying weeks of the season.
The Scot won Manager of the Season while Eric Cantona, one of the more seasoned professtionals in the side, scooped Footballer of the Year.
Hansen later admitted he got the call 'dramatically wrong' but insisted that he meant 'you can't win everything with kids'.
Football's Greatest Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. Episodes are available every Wednesday. You can watch the show on YouTube and Spotify or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.