Published on Tuesday 21 February 2012 03:19
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feels he has another two or three years left in the job but would only retire on the back of a success.
The 70-year-old Scot had been due to step down a decade ago but has justified his change of heart by winning five more Premier League titles to complement the seven he already had and adding a second Champions League triumph. He has also won the FA Cup and three League Cups during that time and although he knows the end is approaching he is determined to end on a high.
“The fact I have been successful means you don’t want to be in an era when you are not successful. Expectation is huge,” said Ferguson last night in an interview broadcast on Radio Five Live. “I don’t know how long I can last now but if my health stays up I don’t think another two or three years would harm me any. I think you need stamina in my job. I am blessed with that. I’ll know when I’m not enjoying it and if I got to a point when I wasn’t enjoying it I would definitely do it (retire). But I think you always want to go out on a winning note. Hopefully we can do that.”
While he insists there is no other role for him directly involved in football after he leaves his Old Trafford post, he has no plans to fade into the background. “I would definitely finish - but I would remain active,” he added “I think there would be a role at United after I finish.”
Anticipating the day of his departure has become something of a guessing game over the past ten years and even the players, both old and new, have started asking questions. “All the players or their agents ask me how long I’ve got left when they sign a contract,” he said. “It becomes more difficult the longer it goes. The way David Gill (chief executive) answers it is by saying ‘He has no intention of retiring at the moment’.
But Ferguson, who himself is regarded as something of a king-maker within British football, is adamant there have been no discussions about his thoughts on a successor. “Never discussed it - it is a dangerous game,” was his response.
Ferguson admits he would find it difficult were he to have his time at United again. “I think United need to have someone experienced. If I was coming into United today I would struggle because of the beast it is,” he said. “When I came in we were in a valley because Liverpool were the dominant team and United were well adrift so we had to rebuild the club and it wasn’t easy, it took time. But the experience I had was the success from Aberdeen and that gave me a chance in terms of respect from the dressing room and gave me self-confidence I could do the job. If I was taken from the job in Aberdeen today it would be a much more difficult task.”
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