Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dropped incredible advice for a Premier League legend who suffered a major setback in his managerial career.
Sir Alex Ferguson is widely considered one of the best managers of all time and the Manchester United legend had a prolific impact both in Scotland and Wales.
The 82-year-old Scot achieved incredible success at Aberdeen, including leading the Scottish side to the European Cup Winners’ Cup with a famous win over Real Madrid.
Following his successful spell in Scotland with Aberdeen, Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford and replaced Ron Atkinson as United manager in 1986.
The former Aberdeen manager weathered a tough start to life at United before Ferguson ushered in a period of dominance for the Red Devils in English football.
Ferguson led United to 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, five FA Cups and four League Cups during his 26-year reign at Old Trafford.
United became the first English team to secure a continental treble after Ferguson’s side won the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup in 1999.
Ferguson bowed out of Old Trafford in 2013 after he captured United’s last Premier League title at the end of the 2012-13 season.
The iconic Scotsman has been an ever-present figure at the club in the aftermath of his retirement, with Ferguson often watching United in action from the stands.
Steven Gerrard turns to Ferguson
Steven Gerrard enjoyed a successful start to life as a manager after he took charge of Rangers, with the Liverpool legend impressing during his time at the Ibrox.
During his time in Scotland, Gerrard ended Celtic’s stranglehold over the Scottish Premiership after he led Rangers to the league title in 2021.
Gerrard’s Rangers side were unbeaten in the league when they were crowned champions, with Celtic falling short of a record-breaking tenth consecutive title.
The 43-year-old former Liverpool captain left Rangers and moved to Aston Villa, but Gerrard endured a tough time during his spell at the Premier League club.
Gerrard’s reign came to an end after Aston Villa won only two of their first 12 league matches in the 2022–23 season, with the Liverpool legend sacked in 2022.
The former Villa boss, who Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign when he was at Liverpool, revealed it was a “tough” moment when he was axed from Villa Park.
“It was tough. It hurt. I felt it,” Gerrard told The Daily Telegraph.
“But what people need to understand is if I didn’t feel that, if I didn’t take that personally, if I didn’t take full responsibility for that, then I am not Steven Gerrard anymore because when it’s football and it’s professional and it’s something that I love I will always own it.
“I am not one of those people who looks to blame, who looks to point fingers. It’s not my style and that’s the reason why I needed a period of time to process that hard toughness. It knocked my confidence a little bit. It does.”
Gerrard speaks to Man Utd legend Ferguson
Gerrard bounced back from his setback and returned to management in 2023 after he signed a deal with Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq.
However, the Al Ettifaq boss sought the advice of Ferguson and paid the United legend a visit before he returned to management.
Ferguson, who has helped other managers since his retirement, urged Gerrard to take his time and not immediately return to the dugout if the time wasn’t right.
“I spoke to a lot of managers around it. I went to see Alex Ferguson for a couple of hours and he said ‘take your time, don’t jump into anything. Take your time and process it, analyse it,’ Gerrard said.
“And that is what I have done. But it has not affected my ambition. I didn’t have any targets when I set out on this different journey.
“I didn’t have a plan to go to Glasgow Rangers. I didn’t have a plan to go to the Premier League after three and a half years. I didn’t have Aston Villa on my resume.
“I am going along trying to be the best version of myself and have a career in coaching because I am passionate about it.”