Sir Alex Ferguson stand unveiled at Old Trafford
Manchester United seal the 25th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson’s appointment as manager with a Premier League win after Old Trafford’s north stand is renamed in his honour.
Sir Alex, who took over the reins at the club in 1986, walked out for the Barclays Premier League game against Sunderland through a guard of honour made up of both teams, including Black Cats boss Steve Bruce, who played under Ferguson for nine years.
Manchester United’s chief executive David Gill revealed the north stand was being renamed in honour of the club’s long-serving manager.
As the stadium stood to applaud the 69-year-old, the covers were taken off the new sign bearing the words Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, before the United boss addressed the fans and declared his pride at working for “the best club in the world”.
Former United defender Wes Brown then gifted Sir Alex an anniversary present with an own goal, as Sunderland lost 1-0.
Sir Alex has guided Manchester United to 12 English league titles, two European Cups and five FA Cups. He celebrated a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in 1999, and in 2011 took United past arch rivals Liverpool’s record of English league titles with a 19th victory.
Besides the silverware Ferguson has used his long tenure to build Manchester United into a footballing hothouse producing several generations of world-class players.