Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has an intriguing theory as to why Sir Alex Ferguson changed his mind about retiring from the game back in 2002
Few managers embodied the ‘team over individual’ philosophy better than Sir Alex Ferguson, though even he occasionally indulged in a touch of selfishness.
That is, at least, according to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, who claimed he and team-mates were a little suspicious of Ferguson’s infamous retirement U-turn a couple of decades back. At the end of the 2000/01 season, Ferguson dropped the mother of all bombshells by announcing he’d be leaving Old Trafford and quitting football altogether when his contract expired in 2002.
It came amid reports of a rift between the Scot and United’s board. In public, however, Ferguson attributed his impending departure to concerns about his age and health.
For six long months he stuck to his story, before reportedly having a change of heart over Christmas. Speaking to former Red Devils chief executive Peter Kenyon on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand admitted: “We thought he [Ferguson] was trying to get a new deal!”
“I think he did,” Kenyon laughed. “But no, there was genuine stuff going on, and at that point he thought that’s what he wanted to do.”
Despite the fact United were champions at the time, an amicable parting of ways with Ferguson might have seemed sensible given the woeful start the club had made to the 2001/02 campaign. They were ninth in the Premier League table by mid-December and the mood around the club was grim, particularly with marquee summer signing Juan Sebastian Veron playing poorly.
But Ferguson’s U-turn, which was publicly announced in February 2002, sparked an uptick in form which saw United win 13 of their next 15 league matches as they ultimately ended the season in third place, with title winners Arsenal having crucially beaten them 1-0 late in the campaign at Old Trafford. Had the manager kept his retirement pledge, however, United might have attempted one of the most ambitious acquisitions in Premier League history.
According to Kenyon, “discussions” were had about trying to lure Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to Old Trafford. At that point, Wenger was one of just two coaches who had managed to wrestle the Premier League title from Ferguson’s hands. And after clinching two league and cup doubles in five seasons, the Frenchman was the only man in England who could hold a candle to the United boss.
That said, the club had actually lined up Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was Three Lions boss at the time, to replace Ferguson. Writing in his autobiography, the Swede, who tragically passed away in August, claimed negotiations were so advanced that he’d actually signed a contract with United prior to Ferguson’s U-turn. Kenyon, however, insisted that while Eriksson had indeed signed on the dotted line, United hadn’t followed suit at that point.
After agreeing to stay on, Ferguson’s side reclaimed their Premier League crown by winning the title in 2002/03. They then had to wait four years to repeat the feat though, with Arsenal’s Invincibles and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea beating them to top spot between 2004 and 2006.
But United bounced back with five title victories, and a Champions League triumph, in seven seasons in a run which culminated in Ferguson’s 2013 retirement – this time, a more sincere farewell than his previous pledge.
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