The first time Mark Hughes and Alex Ferguson met, there was no room for niceties. As the Scottish assistant manager leapt from the dugout to encourage the referee to show a card to Wales's Peter Nicholas during the September 1985 World Cup qualifier between the countries at Ninian Park, Hughes marched over to the touchline to tell Ferguson, in industrial language no doubt, to mind his own business. That heat of the moment first encounter, though, didn't have any visible impact on a relationship that has ventured from suspicion to respect, even friendliness at a certain point, but one that now, as the pair stand in opposite technical areas in the Manchester derby this afternoon, is more than a little cold.

Hughes wasn't around Old Trafford when Ferguson arrived in November 1986. The previous summer he'd left for Barcelona, apparently, against his will. Paddy Crerand recalls Hughes, sitting in the former United player's pub, "crying into his pint and saying he didn't want to go". Yet when word got about that Hughes wasn't happy in Spain and wanted to return to England, Ferguson must surely have had to think twice about re-signing the Welsh man.

It wouldn't have been a personal issue, certainly not because of their encounter that night in Cardiff, but more do to with his connection to United's drinking culture. When he arrived in Manchester, Ferguson's greatest problem was putting the reins on the more social players in the United set-up and although Hughes wasn't exactly the after-hours ring leader, he was a more than occasional participant. "If anyone can explain to me how drink makes you a better player, and prove it, I'll go along with," was a memorable Ferguson speech in his early weeks at the club and he immediately went about changing the mentality. Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside were sidelined, while Bryan Robson was railroaded into changing his ways. He was the side's captain, after all.

That considered, it must have taken a lot for Ferguson to bring one of the old social crew back to the club. That the manager flew straight to Barcelona with Martin Edwards when he heard of Hughes's unhappiness in Spain – and even whispered when the chairman was out of sight that he would never have sold Hughes in the first place – tells everything of the esteem with which United manager held the player in. Fortunately, that respect was replicated on the player's side. "He could sell ice to the Eskimos," said Hughes at the time on Ferguson's persuasive powers and for both men, the transfer worked. Hughes was more mature character when he returned to Old Trafford via a brief loan spell at Bayern and all told, he proved to be one of the manager's most astute signings.

Over the next seven years, the Scot would have cause to label Hughes "the most courageous striker in the game and the greatest big-game player I have ever seen" and of that latter compliment, there was no doubt. If anybody saved Ferguson's backside in that period towards the end of 1989 when it looked as though the manager was for the chop, it was Hughes. His late equaliser in the 1990 FA Cup final clawed Crystal Palace back to 3-3 and earned United a replay. Lee Martin scored the winner to earn Ferguson his first silverware as United manager. The following year, Hughes scored a cracking second goal to help secure the Cup Winners' Cup against Barcelona, while in 1994, his last minute equaliser in the FA Cup semi-final against Oldham saved Ferguson significant blushes.

It was a pity, but not a surprise considering Ferguson's ruthless nature, that a loyal servant like Hughes, was allowed to leave in a sloppy manner in the summer of 1995. According to Joe Royle, the Everton manager at the time, Ferguson had agreed to sell him Hughes as soon as he signed another striker. Stan Collymore was the initial target but eventually Andy Cole arrived. Hughes, though, refused to leave. It was only when he saw the writing on the wall that summer, when Ferguson allowed Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis to leave, did the striker move to Chelsea but it was hardly the most dignified way to allow a player who scored 119 goals in 345 games to depart.

It didn't, though, affect the pair's relationship. "I have probably spoken to him a lot more since becoming a manager than I did as a player," Hughes said a couple of years back. When he was offered the chance to manage Wales in 1999, a gentle nudge from Ferguson – who during his time at Old Trafford never thought his "introvert" of a striker would want to be a manager – persuaded him to take it.

In June 2003, following the departure of Carlos Queiroz to Real Madrid, Ferguson asked Hughes to join his coaching staff but even when he declined the offer, the rapport remained strong. The Scot was even on the other end of a telephone to encourage Hughes to take the Blackburn job in 2004 but it was his third bout of advice where things between the two began to turn a little sour. "He's done a great job as a manager but he's got to take a look at himself," were Ferguson's sour words after Blackburn had beaten United 4-3 at Ewood Park in 2006. "There were 15 fouls given against his team in the first half alone, at home, and he was out there contesting every one. He must think that is right and that is a problem. I hope he can accept criticism because it has been coming in all directions about their physical play, and not just from me, but I hope he listens to me."

Hughes responded by stating that Ferguson's comments had taken the "joy and emotion" out of the result for him and that he was "disappointed" with some of the things that his former manager had highlighted and since that exchange, they've not been on the best of terms. If anything, the uneasiness between the two has turned into genuine frostiness since Hughes became Manchester City manager this summer. United and City's training grounds lie about a Richard Dunne clearance away from each other in the Manchester suburb of Carrington yet there have be no confirmed meetings between Ferguson and Hughes.

Their most recent verbal joust came at the start of the season when Hughes, with the clear intent of indulging in a few mind games with his old boss, suggested that the City and Chelsea game was bigger than the United and Liverpool encounter taking place on the same weekend. "I had better check what Mark has had for his breakfast because something must be upsetting him," was Ferguson's response. "How many games did he play for United against Liverpool? Our game is the biggest. It is a great game."

Ferguson has on many occasions since dismissed the prospect of City ever being bigger than United and has commented publicly, quite unnecessarily, on the many pressures that Hughes must now be under because of the ambitions of the club's new owners. It's not much gratitude to show a guy who effectively saved his hide as United manager 18 years back.

But as Ferguson has shown on many an occasion in his years at Old Trafford, there is no room for sentimentality in football. Expect the interaction between the pair in the 150th Manchester derby to more resemble their first encounter in Cardiff 23 years ago than any of the friendlier exchanges that have passed since.

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