Sir Alex Ferguson was unable to attend the LMA awards night on Tuesday due to illness, but the Manchester United legend wrote a heartfelt letter
League Managers’ Association chief executive Richard Bevan has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson is ‘on the mend’ after being unable to attend their annual awards ceremony.
Ferguson, 84, is recuperating from a recent illness after receiving treatment in a local hospital as a precaution. He felt unwell prior to Manchester United‘s Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 3, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Four weeks on, the Scot was not fit enough to attend Tuesday’s event, but did pen a letter to the Manager of the Year winner, Frank Lampard. Thomas Tuchel presented the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy in his stead.
The England head coach stated: “It is, of course, not the same without Sir Alex himself, and we wish him all the best and a speedy recovery so that he is hopefully with us next year on stage again. Until then, I have the privilege to read this letter to you, Frank..”
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Ferguson’s letter reads: “Dear Frank, many congratulations on being named LMA Manager of the Year. You should be very proud of what you and your team have accomplished.
“Your personality as a manager and a leader is so clearly defined in how your team has played great football this season – with confidence and self-belief, and I have enjoyed watching you.
“I know from speaking with you that you have great humility and that important quality of a curious mind for learning. “I’m sure winning this award will mean a great deal to you, Frank, and I wish you the best of luck in the Premier League next season.”
Lampard clinched the award after guiding Coventry City to the Championship title. Mikel Arteta bagged the Premier League Manager of the Year award, a title for which Michael Carrick and Pep Guardiola were also contenders. Andoni Iraola, Keith Andrews and Regis Le Bris rounded off the six-man shortlist.
Ferguson sent a message to Guardiola last week ahead of the final day of the season. During his last Manchester City pre-match press conference, the Catalan coach said: “One of the biggest compliments I had: I got a message from Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday. That made me so happy.”
When asked about the content of the message, Guardiola replied: “A Scottish accent, I didn’t understand it! I will call him back. Congratulations for the trajectory and for what we achieved. It means a lot to me.
“He is the greatest in this country. The tenure, the time, and for many, many reasons… I’m happy that Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest, could [see]… I’m pretty sure [to] Sir Alex, we are not the ‘noisy neighbours’, we are the ‘neighbours’. Just ‘the neighbours’. And I’m happy that he has been watching.”
Ferguson consistently praised Guardiola during his tenure as United boss. Following the 3-1 defeat to his Barcelona side in the 2011 Champions League final, the Scotsman declared: “In my time as manager, this is the best team we’ve faced – I think everyone acknowledges that and I accept that.”