Well, that's exactly the fate that befell Lee Sharpe and Ryan Giggs in the early 90s, as Sharpe explained in hilarious detail during the latest episode of UTD Podcast.
At the time, the two youngsters were riding the crest of a wave. Both had broken into the United first team as mere teenagers, and played starring roles in the club's first top-flight title in 26 years during the 1992/93 season.
But when Ferguson learned of their plan to paint Stockport red one midweek evening, he had no hesitation in bringing them crashing right back down to earth.