Reflecting in 2021 on his recovery, Manchester United’s most celebrated manager recalled a terrifying period where his ability to communicate suddenly vanished. “I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice.” “I had lost my voice; I couldn’t speak. That was a frightening moment.” To retrain his vocal faculties, specialists engaged him in written cognitive tasks, asking him to transcribe various natural subjects. “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. That way my voice came back.”
That temporary loss of speech and fear of memory degradation stemmed from May 2018, when Sir Alex Ferguson underwent emergency brain surgery and intensive care at Salford Royal Hospital. Less than four months post-surgery, he confessed on BBC Breakfast that profound anxiety preceded his return to the director’s box for a 1-1 clash against Wolves. “I was terrified. I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn’t,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t know what the reaction was [going to be].” Fortunately, the stadium’s thunderous ovation greatly touched his spouse beside him.
“My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said ‘that’s fantastic’.” “It’s one of those things.” “That’s the generosity of our support and recognising my time there.” Today, the 8
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