Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke once decided to make a detour after being provided with a helicopter by Sir Alex Ferguson to aid his return from an international match
Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke once cheekily diverted a helicopter provided by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex, keen on having his striker back as soon as possible, would often arrange a chopper to whisk Yorke from international duty with Trinidad and Tobago during his time at United. The arrangement would see the helicopter collect the player from directly outside the stadium after games in Trinidad and transport him straight to the airport.
Yet, in an amusing twist, Yorke once made the pilot fly to his mansion in Tobago instead of heading straight back to Manchester. He was travelling with two international colleagues, Carlos Edwards and Hector Sam, who were both playing for Wrexham at the time.
However, suspicions arose when they missed their morning training session with the Welsh side. The comical events were relayed by former Wrexham manager Brian Flynn.
Speaking on the Fearless in Devotion fan podcast, he said: “I found out after speaking with Sir Alex that United would put a helicopter outside the stadium to take Dwight Yorke from the match to the airport. He’d be at the airport by quarter to six, catch a flight back to Manchester that night and be in his own bed by maybe one or two o’clock in the morning.
“But on this particular Thursday morning, Carlos and Hector didn’t arrive for training. They’d obviously missed the flight for whatever reason. They came in on Friday morning and Carlos cannot tell lies. Hector could lie all day and we’d believe him, but Carlos couldn’t tell a lie.”
Flynn promptly questioned the pair about the incident, but initially, neither player was willing to confess to their unplanned detour. That was until Edwards, who went on to play for Sunderland, Luton, and Ipswich, walked into his office the next day looking rather sheepish.
Edwards admitted to the detour on the condition that his manager promised not to inform Sir Alex about their escapade. Flynn said: “Carlos knocked on my door, came in and said, ‘I need to tell you something Brian, but don’t tell Sir Alex what happened’.
“What had happened was that Carlos and Hector jumped in the helicopter with Dwight, and just as they’re hovering above the ground, Dwight said to the pilot, ‘Head straight for Tobago’ where he’s got a mansion.
“The pilot said, ‘No, I’m taking you to the airport’ and Dwight said, ‘No, take me to Tobago’, so they went to Tobago and stayed with him in his mansion. I think he must have had a party or something.”
Although Yorke might have thought he had deceived Sir Alex, Flynn revealed that the legendary United manager was well aware of the situation after the pair had a phone conversation soon after. He added: “He apologised to me when he was letting my lads fly free of charge. Sir Alex knew what Dwight was like.”
During his time at United from 1998 to 2002, Yorke scored 66 goals in 152 games, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the FA Cup. After earning 72 caps and netting 19 goals for Trinidad and Tobago during his playing career, he now leads the national team as head coach.
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The 53-year-old took up the mantle in November, having previously captained his country in the 2006 World Cup. Following his retirement from professional football in 2009, Yorke initially served as assistant manager for Trinidad and Tobago.
His only other stint in management was with Australian A-League outfit Macarthur during the 2022/23 season.
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