Fergie time: It’s all over

SIR ALEX FERGUSON... not so much retirement, more an abdication

SIR Alex Ferguson will quit as Manchester United manager at the end of this season.

The club confirmed the news this morning amid massive speculation about his future.

United didn’t respond to requests for information about Ferguson's position last night. But as a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, United was eventually obliged to reveal such potentially share price-changing news.

There was no hint of anything unusual earlier as Ferguson swept into Carrington as usual just before 7am today. He was planning to attend today’s racing at Chester with several of his players.

The silence from United allowed Ferguson's status to be questioned in a way never previously witnessed. Only last weekend, his programme note for Sunday's game against Chelsea insisted he was intent on carrying on indefinitely.

Basking in the triumph of his 13th Premier League title, he said: "This team of champions is not going away – we are here for the long ride. We will get better and if we apply ourselves in our normal fashion I see our 20th league title as nothing but the start of another decade of success.

"Whether I will be here to oversee another decade of success remains to be seen, but I certainly don't have any plans at the moment to walk away from what I believe will be something

special and worth being around to see."

Chatter over his future dates back 12 months, to nosebleeds at a dinner in Scotland that required a visit to hospital.

Though Sir Alex insisted there was no problem, Ferguson subsequently failed to travel to pre-season matches in Sweden and Germany and also sat out a mid-winter training camp in Qatar.

Last week United privately confirmed Ferguson had been booked in for hip surgery in August after the club's pre-season tour, which involves trips to Thailand, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong — odd timing given that the manager could have had any procedure immediately.

Ferguson has said many times in recent years that his health would be the key to his own longevity in the game.

On Monday night there was a massive gamble on David Moyes to join United in the summer - with further speculation that he would leave Everton to become Ferguson’s assistant.

Ferguson leaves the hot-seat as Britain’s most successful trophy-winning manager by a

considerable margin, having claimed his 49th piece of silverware with this season's title.



United’s Premier League trophy parade will begin at Old Trafford on Monday before reaching its conclusion in Albert Square later in the evening. The parade gets under way at 6pm. Given today’s news, it seems obvious who will be getting the biggest cheers...