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Sir Alex Ferguson has opened up on his decision to leave Manchester United and says his main reason for stepping down was to support his wife following the death of her sister.
Ferguson’s extraordinary 26-year spell in charge of the Red Devils came to an end in 2013 when he resigned from the job and retired from football management.
The legendary Scot won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football while at Old Trafford, lifting a remarkable 13 Premier League trophies and winning the Champions League twice.
Manchester United have suffered an alarming fall from grace since Fergie’s retirement over a decade ago and are currently just 14th in the Premier League under struggling manager Erik ten Hag.
Ferguson’s last act as United boss was to lift the Premier League title in May 2013 but he had already decided to step down the previous Christmas.
The 82-year-old, who has been removed as a club director and ambassador by Manchester United’s new owners, told his wife Cathy he would be resigning to support her following the recent death of her sister.
Speaking to his compatriot Ally McCoist on a TNT Sports podcast, Ferguson said: ‘Well, Cathy’s sister died in the previous October and she [Cathy] was lost. She was definitely lost.
‘So at Christmas I said to her, “Look, I’m going to retire at the end of the season”. And I knew by her reaction that she was delighted because she was on her own.
‘She had given her life to me, everything to me. [She was] looking after me because of my job… bringing the kids up. When I said I was going to retire, she was delighted and I knew that. I could tell by her body language.
‘I always said when I got to January – what I did every January 1st, every year I wrote down our games and our opponents games and wrote down where points could be won or lost.
‘I put us down to win [the league] by 10 points. The team was playing really well and I thought we’d do that. I think it was 11 points in the end.
‘They did really well, the team did really well and [Robin] Van Persie was fantastic – his goals, his thrust in the game, his power and confidence.
‘My record was fantastic but what made me was losing games. If I lost a cup final – and I lost a few of them – I could go through every minute of those games and see how we lost.’
It was announced earlier in the week that Ferguson would leave his current role with Manchester United at the end of the season in a cost-cutting measure.
He is believed to have been paid over £2m a year since 2014.
Former United striker Eric Cantona slammed the decision, saying: ‘Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies. Such a lack of respect.’
Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand added: ‘If Sir Alex can be taken out, then NO ONE IS SAFE at Manchester United – anyone can get it now.’
United sit just five points above the relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s clash with Brentford. Ten Hag avoided the sack over the international break despite intense speculation over his future.
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