‘I re-watched Sir Alex Ferguson’s final Man United interview – two bombshell claims shocked me’

Sir Alex Ferguson had been the king of Manchester since the 1990s and his retirement left a hole the club is yet to fill

Sir Alex Ferguson cemented his legacy as Manchester United boss with one final Premier League triumph in the 2012/13 season. Over almost three decades at Old Trafford, the Scottish manager won an incredible amount of trophies.

These included a record 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He is regarded as the greatest coach the English top-flight has ever seen and became the man many clubs loved to hate.

After announcing his departure from the club in May 2013, Fergie helped the club to another Premier League title and qualification for the UEFA Champions League. United beat their closest opponents, Manchester City, by 11 points and lost just five games throughout the season.

In his farewell interview with Sky Sports, the boss was questioned on several topics. But two things struck me specifically in relation to the modern game.

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The reporter questioned the absence of Wayne Rooney in the starting line-up and the bench. Ferguson was extremely honest and revealed that the United icon had requested a move – and he even gave a reason for Rooney’s decision.

At the time, Fergie said: “I don’t think Wayne was keen to play simply because he’s asked for the transfer.

“I think he wants to think it through in his mind, I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go and I think he’s maybe just a little bit frustrated [after] being taken off once or twice in the last few weeks.”

This revelation would never happen in the Premier League today with many managers opting to protect their players by keeping transfers as under wraps as possible. And it seems like even though Ferguson left in 2013, he still held stature at the club afterwards, as Rooney didn’t end up leaving Manchester until 2017 – four years after Ferguson’s departure.

Another shocking claim made by Sir Alex was the fact that the club was “leaking” information. This was in relation to his planned exit from United being shared around in the public before his official announcement.

When asked why he waited for months to reveal the departure – after making his decision during the festive season – Ferguson stated that he wanted to keep it secret as long as he could. After telling family members and his squad of players on the Tuesday, rumours began to circulate.

The United icon said: “Unfortunately there were rumours going around on Tuesday [but] wherever it comes from, you never know. Our club’s a sieve, stuff leaks out and it shouldn’t leak out but we then started to speed it up a bit.”

This is a pattern that continued over the years at United, with an internal investigation being launched just weeks ago in January 2026 to find the source of current leaks. This decision came after the starting XI was ‘leaked’ to press hours before the club’s 2-0 derby win over City.

Ferguson’s legacy at United is one that is unlikely to be tainted given just how successful he was at the helm. But he laid down a few home truths in his final words as the manager of one of the most successful teams in England.