Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as the best club manager of recent times and, arguably, the greatest manager of all time. Since his retirement from Manchester United in 2013, Sir Alex has resisted any and all thoughts of a comeback – although is consistently seen in the stands at Old Trafford and many football matches, domestically and internationally.
Whilst there is little to suggest that Sir Alex is coming back to football in any capacity, rumours and thought processes still abound that, given the right circumstances, Fergie could yet again take a hot seat and lead a club – or country – again.
Here, we take a look at just where Sir Alex could land….should it ever happen…in what would be the most sensational of returns.
MANCHESTER UNITED
The most obvious. Fergie is a deity at Old Trafford, and his shoes have never been truly filled since he took his last walk down the tunnel at the end of the 2013 season. David Moyes and Louis van Gaal both failed fairly miserably at the United helm, and whilst current incumbent Jose Mourinho won three trophies in his first season, the League campaign was a poor show and much more is expected this season. Should Mourinho fail, you wonder where United could, or would, turn….but know that the return of Sir Alex would be amazingly popular with their fans – especially if he is in a shadow capacity to a younger manager…..with the likes of Scholes, Neville and Giggs all big potentials. Not Roy Keane though…….!
SCOTLAND
The Scottish national team has always been a great love of Sir Alex’s and he was briefly manager of Scotland after the tragic death of Jock Stein in the mid 80’s. Its not the greatest of reaches to suggest that Fergie be talked into helping his beloved country out in the future….it would not be as full on or time consuming as a club role and again he could oversee the development of a longer term successor.
CHELSEA
OK…there is a train of thought that Roman Abramovich, having seen his own prodigal son end up at United, goes to all lengths possible, should Conte not be able to turn their struggles around, to bring Fergie to Stamford Bridge, which would stun all their Premier League rivals – and let loose the finest manager on a squad chock full of talent and with an open cheque book to lure back Ronaldo (?) to England. How sensational does that sound? Never say never!!
ABERDEEN
A romantic notion is that Sir Alex returns to the club where it really all began for him…no expectations or pressure, in a league far, far weaker than what he has been used to, and a role that he could simply just enjoy for what it is….bring a bit of exposure and attraction to the North Scotland club and resurrect memories of – maybe even bring back – the glory days of the early 80’s where Aberdeen were THE team north of the border……
WHEREVER RYAN GIGGS EVENTUALLY LANDS
The closest Fergie came to a comeback was when Ryan Giggs was being touted as next Manchester United manager after the sacking of David Moyes, with Sir Alex there in an advisory capacity. It didn’t happen, but Giggs is desperate to get into management – but has had no success. Fergie maintains a close relationship with ‘his boy’ and could just be the wildcard that Giggs needs to get given a chance – somewhere.
It remains a distinct longshot that we will ever see Sir Alex back at the helm of any footballing franchise – he agreed to manage the Manchester United side that played in Michael Carrick’s testimonial earlier this year, but even then commented how he stood by his decision to return……as much as the football world would surely love to see a return from a true modern-day great, we understand it remains exceedingly unlikely…..but you just never know!
SIR ALEX FERGUSON – LIST OF HONOURS (Manchester United only)
- Premier League Champions : 13
- FA Cup Winners : 5
- League Cup Winners : 4
- Community Shield Winners : 10
- UEFA Champions League Winners : 2
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup Champions : 1
- UEFA Super Cup Winners : 1
- Intercontinental Cup Winners : 1
- FIFA Club World Cup Winners : 1
Add Comment