Manchester United icon Dwight Yorke once decided to reroute a helicopter arranged by Sir Alex Ferguson to aid his journey after playing in an international match.
The United boss was always eager for the striker to return promptly from his duties with Trinidad and Tobago. The club would therefore provide a chopper to help him travel between the stadium and airport to get him back to Manchester quickly.
However, on one occasion, Yorke was meant to be travelling to the UK with two international team-mates, Carlos Edwards and Hector Sam, who were both playing for Wrexham at the time. When the pair failed to show for training the next morning, Red Dragons manager Brian Flynn knew something was amiss and later discovered how Yorke had re-routed the helicopter to go to his mansion in Tobago.
READ MORE: Man United loanee Antony makes feelings clear with Real Betis message after win vs Real Madrid
READ MORE: 'We're really excited about him' - Manchester United have new candidate for first-team debut
Sharing the hilarious story on the " target="_blank" class="link"> Fearless in Devotion Wrexham fan podcast, Flynn 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 immediately quizzed the pair on what had happened, but neither player was initially willing to admit to their unexpected diversion. That was until a sheepish-looking Edwards, who later went on to star for Sunderland, Luton and Ipswich, walked into his office the next day.
Edwards confessed to the detour on the condition that his manager swore not to inform Sir Alex of 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."
Yorke might have believed he'd pulled the wool over Sir Alex's eyes, but Flynn revealed the legendary United manager was only too aware after the pair shared 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."
Yorke scored 66 goals in 152 games for United between 1998 and 2002. He won three Premier League titles in that period, along with the Champions League and FA Cup.
Yorke is now the head coach of Trinidad and Tobago after making 72 international appearances and scoring 19 goals for them as a player. The 53-year-old was appointed to the role in November after captaining his country at the 2006 World Cup.
He initially spent time as the assistant manager of Trinidad and Tobago following his retirement from playing in 2009. Yorke's only other managerial job was with Australian A-League side Macarthur during the 2022/23 season.
