Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken about the brain haemorrhage he suffered in 2018, which left him unable to speak and "terrified" about returning to Manchester United. The former manager, now 85, revealed his fears during an interview with the BBC.
Ferguson, who spent 26 years at Old Trafford and won 13 Premier League titles, 19 domestic cups, and two Champions Leagues, retired from management in 2013 but has continued to follow Manchester United. However, he admitted he has not always felt confident in the stands since his health scare at the age of 75.
A frightening moment
Speaking about his return to Greater Manchester after the haemorrhage, Ferguson said: "I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn't." He recalled arriving at the directors' box ahead of Manchester United's Premier League clash with Wolves in 2018, where he and his wife, Cathy, received a standing ovation.
"My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said, 'that's fantastic,'" he added.
Loss of voice after surgery
Ferguson also revealed that he lost his voice following emergency surgery on the haemorrhage. "I had lost my voice; I couldn't speak. That was a frightening moment," he said.
He described how his grandsons visited him while he was unable to speak, and a therapist helped him recover. "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," Ferguson explained.
