Manchester United
manager Sir Alex
Ferguson will retire at
the end of the season,
the English Premier
League champions announced on
Wednesday through their official
website.
The most successful manager in
English football history will bow out
after the West Bromwich Albion game
on 19 May and join the football club
board.
Announcing his decision to retire, Sir
Alex Ferguson said: “The decision to
retire is one that I have thought a
great deal about and one that I have
not taken lightly. It is the right time.
“It was important to me to leave an
organisation in the strongest possible
shape and I believe I have done so.
The quality of this league winning
squad, and the balance of ages within
it, bodes well for continued success at
the highest level whilst the structure
of the youth set-up will ensure that
the long-term future of the club
remains a bright one.
“Our training facilities are amongst the
finest in global sport and our home
Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as
one of the leading venues in the
world.
“Going forward, I am delighted to take
on the roles of both Director and
Ambassador for the club. With these
activities, along with my many other
interests, I am looking forward to the
future.
“I must pay tribute to my family, their
love and support has been essential.
My wife Cathy has been the key figure
throughout my career, providing a
bedrock of both stability and
encouragement. Words are not
enough to express what this has
meant to me.
“As for my players and staff, past and
present, I would like to thank them all
for a staggering level of professional
conduct and dedication that has
helped to deliver so many memorable
triumphs. Without their contribution
the history of this great club would
not be as rich.
“In my early years, the backing of the
board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in
particular, gave me the confidence
and time to build a football club,
rather than just a football team.
“Over the past decade, the Glazer
family have provided me with the
platform to manage Manchester
United to the best of my ability and I
have been extremely fortunate to
have worked with a talented and
trustworthy Chief Executive in David
Gill. I am truly grateful to all of them.
“To the fans, thank you. The support
you have provided over the years has
been truly humbling. It has been an
honour and an enormous privilege to
have had the opportunity to lead your
club and I have treasured my time as
manager of Manchester United.”
Ferguson had dropped no hints that
he was thinking about retiring and in
programme notes ahead of last
Sunday's game against Chelsea
appeared to suggest he would
continue his reign as the club's most
successful manager for the
foreseeable future.
"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," he wrote.
Ferguson, who is due to have hip
surgery after the season, will be an
almost impossible act to follow and
suitable candidates for arguably the
biggest job in world soccer are thin on
the ground.
