Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that Manchester United’s proposed new stadium has made him consider whether he will live to see its opening, though the former manager insists he does not fear death.
Ferguson, 84, reflects on mortality in his new book, Games of My Life, after United set out plans in 2025 for a 100,000-capacity ground to replace Old Trafford.
The scheme is expected to cost about £2 billion and, once work begins, could take between five and six years to complete. That timetable prompted a typically direct calculation from the Scot who led United through their most dominant modern era.
“When United announced plans for a magnificent new stadium to replace Old Trafford, I wondered whether I would be there to celebrate its opening,” Ferguson writes.
He hopes construction gets under way soon, noting that a five-year build would take him close to his 90th birthday. Yet he remains determined to see the occasion in some form.
“I know I will be at the ceremony one way or another: in person or in spirit,” he says.
Ferguson still has much to do
The former United manager says thoughts of death enter his mind from time to time, but he does not dwell on what lies ahead. For Ferguson, it is part of life rather than a subject to be feared.
“I am not someone who stops to think about what my Creator has in store for me, nor am I afraid of dying,” he writes.
Ferguson says he still has “a lot to do” and many people with whom he wants to spend time, choosing instead to make the most of the years available to him.
A place in United history
No figure is more closely associated with Manchester United’s Premier League rise than Ferguson. Across his spell in the Old Trafford dugout, he delivered 13 league titles and established the standards against which the club’s later managers have been measured.
United’s proposed replacement for Old Trafford would be one of the biggest stadium projects in English football, with room for 100,000 supporters. For Ferguson, the prospect carries both the appeal of a new chapter and the unavoidable reminder of time moving on.
He has made clear, however, that he intends to remain part of the club’s story for as long as possible.
