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Darren Ferguson has promised that his father, Sir Alex, will not interfere with the running of Manchester United when David Moyes takes over on 1 July. The club's fans are aware of the problems that occurred when another legendary Scottish manager, Sir Matt Busby, handed over to Wilf McGuinness in 1969, only to return a year later when the team struggled.
Ferguson has said that will not be the case this time around, insisting that his father will definitely keep his distance once Moyes begins his six-year contract. "He'll not be in the dressing room with David Moyes, he'll keep well away from that situation," Ferguson said. "He's had enough impact on who the manager will be, I think. But listen, it's Man United, they'll be fine."
Sir Alex had been thinking of retiring for quite some time, according to the Peterborough manager. "It's been in the back of my mind and we've dealt with it as a family – he's adamant this time.
"He spoke to us, he felt it was the right time. We all sort of abided by that, there were no issues," he told twentyfour7football.com. "There's no problem with his health, contrary to what some people are saying. He's got a small hip operation but there's no difference to most 71-year-olds there and so it's not a health decision.
"Basically he feels he's gone out at the right time, he's left the club in a fantastic position, very healthy, they've hired a very good manager to replace him."
Ferguson said he had no worries about how his father would cope with life post-management after nearly 27 years in charge, especially as he takes up a role as a director and ambassador. "The main reason is he's got a lot of outside things. If he didn't, there'd be worries because when people retire that's when you can have ill-health – when you don't keep yourself occupied."
Fabio Capello, the former England manager, claimed Sir Alex retired due to stress. "I called him yesterday and he told me he has decided to go now because there is too much stress nowadays," he said. "Always having to win something is very challenging, and he told me he wanted to go around the world with his wife."
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