TOMMY DOCHERTY believes Ruud van Nistelrooy will not be the last big name to be forced out of Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Van Nistelrooy, 30, was sold to Real Madrid in the summer after a string of bust-ups with the Scot.
And Docherty, who managed Manchester United from 1972 to 1977, was not surprised to see the Dutch ace dumped — just like David Beckham and Roy Keane before him.
The Doc said: "Van Nistelrooy is a 25-goals-a-season man. But if you fall out with Ferguson you've had it.
"Fergie's a vindictive manager and if you can't get along with him you're finished.
"He knows he can threaten the young players more than the experienced ones to make them tow the line. "So if somebody like Van Nistelrooy speaks out, he gets rid of them.
"The same happened with Keane, Jaap Stam and Beckham."
Ex-England skipper Becks was devastated when his United career came to an end in July 2003.
Although Sir Alex had a well-publicised spat with the midfielder, he showed Beckham the door for different reasons to Van Nistelrooy.
Docherty added: "David didn't talk back to Ferguson. "It was purely down to the publicity world he finds himself in because he is such a great player.
"I think Fergie was a bit jealous and envious when it came to David. "You've got to do it his way or not at all. "He's a great manager in many, many ways — but in other ways he's a bully."
Ferguson's methods may not be everyone's cup of tea yet Docherty insists the United boss should never be forced to change his ways.
The 78-year-old said: "Fergie's doing a fantastic job and he's a fantastic manager.
"If anything he's a better manager now than he was five years ago.
