Sir Alex Ferguson has responded to Gary Lineker’s assertion that the difficulties faced by Manchester United can be linked to his exit, calling it “an insult.”
The defending champions United were eliminated from the FA Cup on Sunday after a penalty shootout loss to Fulham, following a 1-1 tie at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are having a disastrous season, currently sitting in 14th place and on track for their worst-ever finish in the Premier League.
While head coach Ruben Amorim has faced challenges on the field, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has contributed to the turmoil off the pitch, causing controversy with the significant layoffs and cost-reduction strategies he has enacted.
Following Sunday’s latest setback, Match of the Day host Lineker reflected on United’s decline since the Ferguson era, focusing on the legacy and structure left behind after his retirement in 2013.
Lineker said: “If you look at Liverpool now, they’ve got a new manager in Arne Slot, and it’s testament to how Jurgen Klopp left the club in a really good state. So the structure is really good. That probably wasn’t the case at the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s [time at Old Trafford].”
Ferguson won the league a record 13 times with United, including a comfortable triumph in 2012/13 despite his ageing squad. Lineker added: “I know they won the league that season. But it wasn’t their best side, and a lot of their great players were coming to the end of their careers. I think from there they had problems. The academy wasn’t delivering the players that they were before.”
The argument regarding United’s gradual decline over the last 12 years, where all seven of Ferguson’s successors have faced various challenges, is not a novel one. As far back as 2014, following the dismissal of David Moyes—chosen by Sir Alex to take over—there was a prevalent belief that Ferguson had failed to plan adequately for the future.
However, the 83-year-old, who experienced 26 years of exceptional achievement, defended himself against his critics and attributed Moyes’ lack of success to a different reason. “It is insulting to claim that I left behind an ageing squad,” Ferguson stated at an event promoting his revised autobiography.
“Chelsea have seven players over 30 but nobody talks about them being an old team. It is easy to defend myself against all of that because all the statistics are there.
“My advice to David [Moyes] was that he should maybe keep Mike Phelan. He was a United man – loyal, hard-working and a good judge of the players. I was always supportive of David – whenever he called I gave him the advice I would have wanted when I was manager.”