Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed he made his mind up to retire in December.
Ferguson announced last Wednesday morning that he had decided to quit at the end of this season after nearly 27 years as Manchester United manager.
His final game at Old Trafford was Sunday’s 2-1 win over Swansea, which was followed by his 13th Premier League trophy presentation.
There have been plenty of questions asked about when Ferguson made up his mind to go, with some wondering whether he had been eased out given last week’s programme notes, in which he insisted he was staying, or whether it had something to do with his health.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Ferguson insisted neither theory was true.
“I decided at Christmas,” he said. “Cathy’s sister died. She had lost her best friend and she has been isolated. For 47 years she has been the leader of the family. She has made a lot of sacrifices for me.”
It was a touching reference to his wife, who has been responsible for bringing up their three children as Ferguson powered along as the most successful British manager of all time.
And he admitted the news nearly slipped out on a couple of occasions before the public announcement, which came a day after the intense rumours about his future first surfaced.
“It was difficult to keep it a secret,” he said. “Sometimes we nearly blurted it out to the family and we told our sons in March but my brother didn’t know until Tuesday.
“I wanted to tell the players first and also my staff. Unfortunately there were rumours going around on Tuesday so we started to speed it up a bit.”
Now the challenge of standing in Ferguson’s mighty footsteps falls to David Moyes, whom the Scot urged supporters to stand by during his on-pitch post-game address prior to the trophy being handed over.
Ferguson also paid personal tribute to Paul Scholes, who started Sunday’s game and will also retire in the summer, and Darren Fletcher, who continues his recovery from a chronic bowel condition.
Ferguson later confirmed Wayne Rooney had asked for a transfer from United after admitting the England star was not keen to play against Swansea.
The Old Trafford boss dropped a bombshell earlier by leaving Rooney out of the matchday squad. And later he gave his reasons, telling Sky Sports: “I don’t think Wayne was keen to play simply because he had asked for a transfer. He wants to think it through in his mind, which is a good idea.”
Javier Hernandez put United ahead and although Michu equalised just after half-time, Rio Ferdinand’s 87th-minute winner ensured a fitting climax to Ferguson’s Old Trafford experience.