Gary Neville negotiated my contract with Man United and convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to pay me more money.
With Sir Alex Ferguson's distaste for football agents an open secret, Danny Simpson needed an alternative option to represent him in contract negotiations.
Having risen through the ranks of Manchester United's academy over the years, Simpson was a well-known face among the club's professionals when he broke into the first team.
As a defender, players such as Wes Brown and Patrice Evra took Simpson under their wing and helped him make the transition from the academy to the men's game.
Soon it was time for Simpson to upgrade his contract to a professional contract in order to further his development.
But as a Red Devils youngster, few things were scarier than discussing the details of the contract with Ferguson.
After all, this was a man who called the late Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba's former agent, a 'bag of shit' in his 2015 autobiography.
Read more Man United news
Simpson, desperate to avoid falling on the wrong side of Ferguson, decided to avoid bringing an agent into discussions for his new deal with United.
Instead, he got one of his teammates, who happened to be the club captain at the time, to do the deal.
“Gary Neville actually negotiated my contract with Fergie,” Simpson said. talkSPORT's inner demons.
“As a kid, when you start knocking on the door and surrounding the first team, you're afraid to upset them.
“He'd say, 'I want to give you a new contract,' and you'd say, 'My agent will see you.' You were afraid to say that. Whereas now it's the first thing you say.
“I'm thinking, 'If I say that, he's going to throw me out.'” So I talked to Gaz and Gaz said, 'I'll go see it for you.'”
3
The timing of the contract occurred just before Simpson joined Sunderland, managed by Red Devils icon Roy Keane at the time, in January 2007.
For the deal to happen, Simpson had to go from being an academic to a professional.
“It was me, Gaz and Sir Alex in the room,” Simpson said.
“I didn't really know what to do. So I just sat in the middle.
“He (Neville) actually got me more money, to be fair. He didn't actually (ask for a cut).
“The Gaz you see now is always that Gaz.”
3
Simpson ultimately made eight appearances for United during the five seasons he was on their books, with most of his time at Old Trafford spent on loan.
He secured a permanent move to Newcastle in January 2010 before joining Queens Park Rangers in 2013.
But the most memorable period of Simpson's career came in August 2014, when he joined Leicester City.
He played a key role in helping the Foxes achieve a miracle to avoid relegation in his first season at the club.
Simpson then started 30 league games the following season in Leicester's unthinkable Premier League winning campaign under Claudio Ranieri.
The right-back featured in six of the Foxes' nine Champions League games the following season and eventually left in 2019.
listen to the full episode of Inside Devils on youtube.
Man Utd talkSPORTS BETTING OFFER
Man Utd to win first 3 games under Reuben Amorim – 33/1*
18+ New Customers only. Sign up and bet £1 on Ruben Amorim to win his first 3 games in charge before 16:30 on 24/11/2024. Get enhanced odds paid on free bets, expiring 7 days after credit. Terms and conditions apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please play responsibly
