Former Manchester United left back Patrice Evra has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager of the Old Trafford club because of his wife.
Ferguson was United manager between 1986 and 2013 and led the club to winning 13 Premier League titles.
The Scot also won five FA Cups, four League Cups and two-champions league titles during his trophy-laden time in charge of the Red Devils.
Evra revealed in a podcast that Fergie decided to call time on his managerial career at United because he wanted to spend time with his wife.
“After two weeks, we were in the dressing room waiting,” Evra told United’s official podcast.
“When we arrived at Carrington, I see all those cameras and I was like: ‘Wow, someone has done something wrong. Maybe a player is the story again! Someone has done something wrong, we are in trouble’.
“But we arrived and people said, ‘Guys, you have to stay in the dressing room because the boss wants to have a chat’.
“And when the boss came into the dressing room to talk to everyone, it’s never good news.
“He came, and he said, ‘I’m really sorry. Some people have said that I’m going to retire even before I say it myself. That’s why you saw all those cameras. But I will retire because my wife needs me’.
“He apologised to (Robin) van Persie, he apologized to Shinji [Kagawa], because he just brought them. He apologized to them especially,” Evra revealed.
Ferguson handed the reins to David Moyes soon after and United have struggled to hit high notes consistently since then.
The club has yet to win either the Premier League or the UEFA Champions League title again and Evra stated that Ferguson had planned to pull off an audacious project which he believed would deliver Europe’s Holy Grail again.
Furguson, according to Evra, had planned to sign on Cristiano Ronaldo (for a second time) and Gareth Bale to bolster United’s ranks again.
“Two weeks before (he retired), I remember there was a lot of media saying Ferguson will maybe retire next year, and he said, ‘Patrice, I will never retire. I will be here another 10 years’.
“He then said: ‘My target is I’m 99 per cent sure we will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. I just need these two players to win the Champions League again. Ninety-nine per cent’.
“And to be fair, when I speak with Cristiano, I ask him and he said ‘yes’ to the boss, and was coming to join United. He told me this,” Evra concluded.
