SIR ALEX FERGUSON revealed his best and worst moments from his 26 years in charge of Manchester United.
The greatest manager of all time had a few lows but mainly highs during his historic spell as boss of the Red Devils.
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The Scot won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues at Old Trafford between 1986 and 2013.
But as well as the ups, there were a few downs and Fergie admitted letting players go – young and old – was the toughest part of his job.
Speaking to United’s website, the 79-year-old said: “There are always going to be regrets, but the thing is always to look forward.
“Tomorrow’s another day. I always did when we lost a game. The next day was better, without question.
“But in terms of the regrets, the 1994 team I had, the back four all seemed to grow old together, and that’s a terrible thing to happen to the manager because these guys were fantastic for me.
“[Paul] Parker, [Steve] Bruce, [Gary] Pallister, [Denis] Irwin: Fantastic players. They gave me nine or 10 years and the evidence is always on the football field. They don’t see it. I see it.
“The problem for me is ‘what do I do about it?’. I managed to organise a move for them, and they did well out of it, but telling them is very, very difficult.
“The same when having to let young players go. The process was the youth coach and the welfare chap would come in with the player you’re going to let go.
“Maybe he’s only 17 or 18-years-of-age. The way we’d explain it is we’d try and get him a team. We’d try and get him a club and ‘we’re sorry we’re having to do this’.
“That’s terrible. That is the worst thing, having to let a young player go.
“All his ambitions and hopes and desires are about playing for Manchester United in front of 75,000 people and going to Wembley in a final.
“That’s the ambition of every young kid that comes to Manchester United, and when you take that away from him, it’s a sore, sore thing. So I hated that. I hated that.”
Despite his struggles when letting players go, Ferguson looked back fondly on his relationship with the United faithful.
Asked to pick his favourite memory involving Red Devils supporters, Fergie did not hesitate and said: “Oh, the day we won the league for the first time. God almighty! I couldn’t get out the car park.
“There were thousands of them. I went there in the afternoon because they wanted a photograph taken with the trophy and I went there at about 3pm.
“There were thousands there and I couldn’t get out of my car, they were engulfing me. It was unbelievable.
“So what you were doing that day was satisfying the anxiety and relief of 26 years. That’s what I was doing that day.
“These supporters had been suffering for 26 years and finally that day they showed their love for me. They could have made me President for that day.”
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