Ex-Man United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has opened up about his recovery from a brain haemorrhage, recalling the fear and uncertainty he experienced after undergoing emergency surgery in 2018.
The former Manchester United gaffer suffered the haemorrhage in May 2018 and returned to Old Trafford four months later to watch United face Wolves in the Premier League.
Despite spending 26 years in charge of the club and becoming one of football’s most successful managers, Ferguson admitted he was nervous about returning to the stadium.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Ferguson was quoted as saying, “I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn’t,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson, who was accompanied by his wife Cathy, received a standing ovation from supporters when they took their seats in the directors’ box.
“My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said ‘that’s fantastic’,” he recalled.
Ferguson was 76 when he suffered the haemorrhage and had already retired from management five years earlier. He went on to make a gradual recovery, although the early stages were particularly difficult.
“I had lost my voice; I couldn’t speak,” he said. “That was a frightening moment.”
He recalled how his grandsons visited him during his recovery and saw him struggling to speak.
“I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice,” Ferguson said.
A therapist then helped him begin the process of regaining his speech through a series of exercises.
“Then they brought in a therapist and she started doing things like asking me to write down the names of birds, names of animals, names of rivers,” he said.
“That way my voice came back.”
Now approaching his 85th birthday, Ferguson says he is feeling well despite dealing with some minor injuries.
The Scot has also reflected on his extraordinary football career in his new book, _Games of My Life_, which recounts 21 defining matches from his playing and managerial career.
Ferguson spent 26 years managing Manchester United, winning 38 trophies during his time at the club and establishing himself as one of the most decorated managers in football history.
His recollections offer a personal insight into both his remarkable career and the difficult period that followed one of the most serious health challenges of his life.
Source: punchng.com
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