Sir Alex Ferguson is a painful reminder of Man Utd's glory days 40 years on from his arrival

Daily Mirror · Felix Keith · 2026-11-06 14:09 UTC

Manchester United have become a pale imitation of their heyday under Sir Alex Ferguson, who started his incredible transformation process 40 years ago to the day

Forty years ago, on November 6, 1986, Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards made a fateful decision that was to transform the club's fortunes.

Edwards managed to convince Alex Ferguson to leave Aberdeen, where in his own words he had "the most secure job in British football", to become the new United boss. In retrospect, it's hard to envisage given what came next, but at the time, it was viewed by many as a gamble.

If so, then it was one of the most successful gambles in sport's history.

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