Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson contacted him following their embarrassing 9-0 loss to Leicester.
The Foxes recorded the biggest ever away win in the Premier League back in October.
It left the Saints just one place above the drop zone but with plenty of soul searching to do.
Hasenhuttl though received an unexpected text from the Scot - a man he didn't know prior to the defeat.
He told Sky Sports : "I remember that I received a text from Alex Ferguson, I didn't know him before and if I hadn't lost maybe I would never have heard from him. So I suppose this was a positive."
Southampton continued to struggle after that and four losses in their next seven saw them drop into the bottom three.
Since then though they have turned things around with a run of six wins in nine lifting them into the top half momentarily.
Hasenhuttl admits he told the club that he would've axed himself were he in their position, but is grateful that the board showed faith in him.
He added: "I must say thank you to the club because they were really supportive. I said to them if I was you I would sack me.
"We were hopeless but Martin (Semmens, CEO) said he knows how much I invest and he is 100 per cent sure we will return to successful ways. We all lost some direction.
"It was a very important period for me because I learned a lot. When I look back it was a difficult situation because we lost 9-0 and then we played twice against Man City. To have such a turn around is strange because normally it is the next manager who oversees that."
Prior to the Premier League's enforced suspension the Saints had won just two of their last seven but remain seven points clear of the drop zone.
