Arsene Wenger inadvertently helped Manchester United win the treble after Gary Neville leaked secret tactic

Sir Alex Ferguson may have Arsene Wenger to thank for inspiring Manchester United to their treble in 1999.

Victory in the Champions League final over Bayern Munich capped off a season to remember for the Red Devils in which they also took home the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

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United became the first English club to complete the treble and remained the only ones to do it until the 2022/23 season, when noisy neighbours Manchester City equalled the remarkable feat.

Yet the Red Devils may have never managed the stunning accomplishment had it not been for Wenger and his revolutionary stance on a player’s diet.

How Wenger overhauled Arsenal players’ diets

Prior to Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal in 1996, a swathe of Gunners stars enjoyed questionable pre-match meals and snacks.

Burgers, pies, chips and chocolate were just some of the food on the menu at Arsenal while several players regularly indulged in boozy nights out.

But Wenger had different ideas, having experienced a whole different outlook on diet during his time at Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight.

There was a heavy focus on clean eating in Japan, with foods heavy in fat and sugar largely cut out.

It meant Wenger shook up the menu at Arsenal as pasta, boiled chicken, fish and raw vegetables were all introduced.

Although some Arsenal players were slow to get on board with the new diet, an uptick in performances and results convinced the squad there was method to Wenger’s supposed culinary madness.

Red Devils star caught on to Wenger’s revolutionary methods

But it wasn’t long before some of the Gunners’ English rivals caught on to Wenger’s methods.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s How To Win The World Cup podcast, former Gunners goalkeeper David Seaman opened up on how a Red Devils star’s curiosity may have inspired the club’s historic feat.

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“When Arsene came in 1996, we were on a special diet,” Seaman said.

“The England doctor was Arsenal’s club doctor as well. So we would go away with England, eating the same food as what we were eating under Arsene Wenger.

“Then Gary Neville‘s like, ‘Hang on, doc, what are they eating? Because it’s a team thing, we should be on that.’

“He saw what we were eating, then went back to Man United and reported all of that.”

Seaman spots early signs of England cliques

Neville nabbing Wenger’s dietary secrets for United’s gain no doubt contributed to what was quickly becoming a major rivalry between the two clubs.

Such was the tension, Seaman noted Arsenal and Red Devils players were already starting to form their own little groups when they went away for England duty.

However, he took it upon himself to break down barriers in the pursuit of international glory.

“There was a few little cliques starting,” Seaman said.

“There was a lot of Arsenal players. So in the canteen or the restaurant, there would be the Arsenal table, there’d be a Man United table and then there’d be the others.

“But I was aware of talking about team harmony and everything. I remember thinking, ‘This ain’t gonna be good. I’m going to go over and sit with them (United players).’ Just to try and mix it up before it started getting really bad.”

Seaman added: “It felt awkward. I wasn’t really aware of it becoming the cliques at that time, but I just felt it wasn’t right.”

How did England perform at the 1998 World Cup?

Unfortunately for the Three Lions, the dietary changes didn’t aid their hopes at the 1998 World Cup in France.

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England booked a berth in the knockout stages having finished second in Group G thanks to a shock loss to Romania.

However, Glenn Hoddle’s side crashed out in the round of 16 after losing on penalties to Argentina.

It was a match filled with controversy as David Beckham picked up a red card having kicked out at Diego Simeone.

Beckham’s sending off resulted in unsavoury scenes back in England as he copped relentless attention from the media and even had effigies depicting the winger hanging in the streets.

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