Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that players would throw "all sorts of things" at "vain" Cristiano Ronaldo while he stood in front of a mirror.

Those things included boots - and even jockstraps.

"Dealing with an ego doesn’t bother me," Ferguson said in the Daily Telegraph.

"You used to see Ronaldo standing in front of the mirror loving himself. But it was a nice vanity. The players used to throw jockstraps, boots and all sorts at him. It never bothered him one bit.

"They need to win, these guys: the ones that are cultivating their egos a little bit. You might see a player in a Ferrari and think – what’s he driving that for? But he has to live with that. He’s not going to be driving into town when he’s bottom of the league, or he’s been dropped. Some people can’t judge that. True players can."

Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Show all 21 1 /21 Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Southampton: Stekelenburg: 5/10 The Dutchman was not helped by his defenders, but did not have the look of a composed man. Not a worthy replacement for Fraser Forster. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Yoshida 4 Right back is not his favoured position and it showed. Produced a criminal back pass to gift Martial the opportunity to score his second goal. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Fonte 6 A leading light in Southampton's back line. The only remaining member of last season's tight knit rearguard, he is a level above the rest. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Van Dijk 5 The defender is quickly discovering that the Premier League is not comparable to the north of the border. Struggled and lucky not to be dismissed for a petulant foul on Martial. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Targett 5 Substituted at half time after struggling to contain United's forages forward on the right flank. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Wanyama 6 The enforcer was not at his best but still helped to smother plenty of United attacks. However, couldn't link to the front men as well as he would have liked. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Romeu 5 Struggled to get a foothold in the game. The Spaniard must improve if he is to fulfil his potential at St. Mary's. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Mane 6 A constant menace. Few defenders seem to have figured out how to stop him and he produced a superb assist for Pelle's second. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Ward-Prowse 6 The English youngsters boasts superb delivery from wide areas and did not disappoint. Needs to do more to cope with the physicality of the division. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Tadic 6 Encouraging early on, but the midfielder's display fizzled out somewhat. His crosses did not dip in quality but he did not have the impact that his start suggested he would. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Pelle 7 A simple tap in for the first goal, which he took well, and nodded home superbly for his second. Would have had a hat trick but for the width of the post. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Manchester United: De Gea 7/10 The safest pair of hands in the division. Exposed by his poor defence on countless occasions but still made several smart stops. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Darmian 5 Withdrawn at half time due to injury. If the Italian's absence is an extended one he will be sorely missed given the impressive start to his career in England. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Smalling 5 All at sea early on in a throw back to the dark days. Struggled to cope with Pelle's power and the fluid nature of the remainder of Southampton's attack. A dip after what has been a stellar start to the campaign. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Blind 5 Although the Dutchman is composed on the ball his lack of pace is strikingly obvious. His ability can get him our of trouble at times but his snail-like speed can be his downfall at centre back. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Carrick 5 The Englishman's strengths do not seem to sit well with Schneiderlin's. Sat deep but looked off the pace. He is far from an enforcer and his composed - but safe - patterns of passing did little to affect the game. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Schneiderlin 6 Appeared to be somewhat affected by the return to familiar surroundings. Received a bit of jib from the home crowd but still managed to pass the ball impeccably. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Mata 6 Debate continues in regards to the Spaniard's best position, though the right flank is not alien to him. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Rooney 6 Distinctly average. The skipper was deployed at number 10 and covered plenty of ground but did not provide the cutting edge in the final third that he is constantly expected to command. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Depay 6 It just isn't happening for the Dutchman. He is desperate to make something happen but his powerful runs and ability on the ball are yet to yield a final product. Struck the post in the build up to Mata's goal. Southampton 2 Manchester United 3 player ratings Martial 8 The teenager has answered his critics emphatically. A well-taken brace courtesy of two composed finishes had the appearance of a man with far more experience than the 19-year-old. His instant impact goes from strength to strength. GETTY IMAGES

Ferguson also revealed that he enjoyed working with Eric Cantona and said he never had trouble with the forward, despite the Frenchman having a reputation as being difficult to deal with.

"I spoke to Eric Cantona every day," added Ferguson. "He was a very under-rated man and an interesting man. He needed the encouragement that he was at the right club. And he was at the right club. On the training ground you never got one ounce of difficulty with Cantona.

"Sometimes he would come in for training with his eyebrows down and you would say – what’s wrong with him today? Once he got warmed up, into training, he was fine.