Sir Alex Ferguson has opened up on the frightening moment he lost his voice and could no longer speak in the days after brain surgery. The 84-year-old suffered a brain haemorrhage in May 2018 and has now shared details of his experience and his emotional return to Old Trafford for the first time.
Loss of voice after surgery
Ferguson recalled the moment he realised he could not speak. "I had lost my voice; I couldn't speak," he said. "That was a frightening moment."
He remembered his grandsons visiting him in hospital. "I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice," he explained. "Then they brought in a therapist and she started doing things like asking me to write down the names of birds, names of animals, names of rivers. That way my voice came back."
Emotional return to Old Trafford
Ferguson was back at Old Trafford four months after surgery to watch Manchester United play Wolves, but admitted he was unsure about the reception he would receive from supporters. "I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn't," he told BBC Breakfast.
He need not have worried. Ferguson and his late wife Cathy were given a standing ovation from all four corners of the ground as they took their seats. "My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying," he added. "When we sat down, she said 'that's fantastic'."
Health update
The former Manchester United boss had been retired for five years before the incident and was 76 years old at the time. Asked about his current health, he said: "I'm feeling quite good despite small injuries."
