Alex Ferguson to retire at end of season
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 8, 2013
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Sir Alex Ferguson will retire as manager of Manchester United at the end of the season. |
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has announced that he will retire at the end of the season after 35-year coaching career and 27 years in charge at Old Trafford.
A statement released to the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning stated: "Sir Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season, Manchester United announced today. 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."
Due to the club's flotation on the New York Stock Exchange, any uncertainty about the figure who is British football's most successful manager would have to be addressed immediately to appease investors and stave off a potential fall in valuation.
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."
Ferguson, 71, is the longest-serving manager in English football. However, speculation about his possible retirement has regularly appeared in recent years and returned in the wake of the Premier League champions' confirmation that Ferguson requires surgery on his hip this summer.
Talks are underway to find a replacement and Everton manager David Moyes is among the frontrunners.
Other managers who may be of interest to United would include Real Madrid's José Mourinho, though he appears favourite to take over at Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp, whose Borussia Dortmund team are in the Champions League final, and Malaga's Manuel Pellegrini.
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