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I have two or three years left, claims Ferguson

03/06/2008

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he has "no more than three years" left as Manchester United manager.

The Scot has spent more than 20 years at Old Trafford, winning ten Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies in this time.

But he has admitted his time in the profession is coming to an end as he wants to spend more time with his "suffering" wife.

In a feature-length interview with Sir David Frost for Sky Sports, Ferguson said in answer to a question on his own future: "I think no more than three years - two, maybe two more.

"I have got to respect my wife too, because she's suffering. She suffers because she doesn't go to the games.

"She's not a football fan, you know - she's an Alex Ferguson fan, she's a mother to all these three boys and a grandmother to her grandchildren. That's her life."

Ferguson also admitted the changing face of football management, which sees the regular hiring and firing of coaches by top clubs increasing in frequency year-on-year, had prompted him to re-evaluate his plans.

He said he did not feel under particular pressure in terms if his own job security, but admitted these thoughts sometimes prey on his mind as he hinted he wants to call time on his career at his own pace rather than be forced into a decision.

"I think what you've got to bear in mind is the changes to management anyway - for instance, there are some promising managers at this very moment in time as we're sitting here," he said.

"Then a few bad results and they're out of a job, and if that happens, who's going to last the pace?

"But it's not that, obviously the board and David Gill's mentioned it to me in the past.

"It's David's decision and it's the Glazer family's decision - they have to be comfortable with it."

The comments support Ferguson's recent claims that he is only a few years away from retirement as he is now less than three years short of his 70th birthday.