Manchester United

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

"I was terrified," says Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the fiercest, most explosive and most decorated managers in football history.

The legendary former Manchester United boss is recalling the day he returned to Old Trafford for the first time after suffering a brain haemorrhage in May 2018.

Four months after emergency surgery, Ferguson - famous for his 'hairdryer treatment' when United dominated English football - was back to watch his beloved club take on Wolves in the Premier League.

The man responsible for making the dreams of United fans around the world come true for once was unsure of the reception he would receive from supporters.

"I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn't," Ferguson tells BBC Breakfast.

He need not have worried.

Ferguson and his wife, Cathy, received a standing ovation when they took their seats in the directors' box before kick-off.

"My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said 'that's fantastic'."

Ferguson had been retired five years - after winning 38 trophies during 26 years in charge of United - at the time of his brain haemorrhage, aged 76.

Now three months short of 85, he says: "I'm feeling quite good despite small injuries."

The Scot has a new book coming out - Games Of My Life. It tells the stories of 21 defining matches in his playing and managerial career, revealing fresh insights into his journey from working-class Glasgow to dominating the English game - and Europe - as United boss.

Ferguson is thankful he is able to talk about the games that helped shape him.

"I had lost my voice; I couldn't speak," he says about the days immediately after brain surgery. "That was a frightening moment.

"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."

Read more from BBC Breakfast's interview with Ferguson here

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A very special interview in which legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson speaks with Nina Warhurst for BBC Breakfast is available to listen to and download now on BBC Sounds.

In a wide-ranging chat, Ferguson talks on topics including his upbringing in Glasgow, making his debut for St Johnstone, the Class of '92, and his recovery from a brain haemorrhage and return to Old Trafford in 2018.

The 84-year-old opens up about his health struggles in recent years, while reminiscing on some of the stories that defined his life, both personally and in football.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - or you can read a write-up on Ferguson's chat here

Explore Manchester United content on BBC Sounds

Manchester United have had a tricky start to the season.

One win in the opening five league games means the Red Devils were 12th in the table heading into the three-week international break.

A disappointing Carabao Cup third-round exit against Brighton, and a 1-0 derby loss to Manchester City, both at Old Trafford, has heightened scrutiny and pressure on boss Michael Carrick.

So what questions do you have about Unitedd? They could be on the squad, injury concerns, Carrick's tactics, the boardroom or a topic of your choice.

BBC Sport's Manchester United reporter Simon Stone will be on hand to answer a selection next week.

Get in touch with your question here

Brentford forward Kevin Schade has been linked with Manchester United but Liverpool have also emerged as contenders to sign the 24-year-old Germany international. (Teamtalk), external

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Football finance expert Kieran Magiure, has been answering your questions after Manchester City were found guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules.

Gary: Is there any chance this could be resolved by the end of the season?

Kieran: There is a very high chance it will be resolved by the end of the season. Because if it is not, we could end up in another situation very similar to that of Burnley and Everton where a club could be relegated and Manchester City are not given a deduction. And next season, a club that finished in 18th could say had that deduction been applied earlier, we wouldn't have been relegated. So that would add to the complications.

Certainly looking at the Premier League's press release itself, it does seem that it is very keen to resolve it as quickly as possible. If you take a look at the length of time that it took the commissions in respect to Nottingham Forest and Everton, once they have heard the evidence, applying the sanctions is the quickest part. It's listening to evidence that is the torturous process.

• Listen to a special Q&A podcast by hitting play above or on BBC Sounds

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Dappy: Based on everything you read, what is the most likely punishment going to be for Manchester City?

Kieran: I agree that it could be a very hefty points deduction and a transfer embargo at the very least. On top of that, I believe there will be a very significant financial penalty added into the equation. The logic behind having a transfer embargo is that it then becomes a multi-season issue.

If we go back to 2013 when City were in breach of Uefa rules, they had a transfer ban, wage and squad caps, it did impact the club in the subsequent season.

Rehan: If Manchester City get a huge fine, what would the FA do with that money? Where would it go?

Kieran: It would be shared by the Premier League clubs, including Manchester City. And it will be offset against the league's legal bill. Discussions with lawyers suggest they think City could be liable for about two-thirds to three-quarters of Premier League's legal costs, which is estimated to be in the region of £50-60m.

Get more reaction here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The Premier League has opened a Pandora's box of problems which cannot be closed. However well-intentioned, however morally upright they mean to be, the way the product is perceived around the planet by fans will be negatively affected.

This looks like a gigantic mess, but could also become a bit of a joke, especially if they attempt to rewrite history, and change the winners' names on the Premier League and cup trophies over these past 15 years. I wouldn't want the engraver's job.

I believe financial rules brought in to prioritise financial sustainability were also aimed at limiting the money being spent by the clubs, especially the staggering, ever-inflating sums spent on sometimes fairly average players. It could lead to a de facto salary cap, which many fans would approve of.

The long-term problem for the league is easy to see here: if the top players are then offered significantly more money to play elsewhere, they will be off before you can say 'man on'.

I always thought the Premier League had taken a huge risk going down this regulatory road. As with Manchester City's future, nobody knows what the real long-term ramifications will be.

I have a suspicion it could end up being the greatest own goal in the sport's entire history.

The big take: If City are cast out of England's top leagues, what might the owners do – hang around the lower reaches, or find something else? Wasn't there the idea of a Super League? Keep that thought in the back of your mind.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Most of the time it is not that big a deal if you go into the international break having just lost a club game if I am honest, as teams lose games frequently.

That is just the life of a professional footballer. You have to be able to cope with disappointment as an individual and as a team.

‌Admittedly, players will sometimes say that they want another domestic game quickly, but it is almost always specifically after a 'bad' defeat as opposed to just a run-of-the-mill loss.

‌However, if the team has genuinely played terribly, or lost a game they were expected to win comfortably, you will commonly hear the phrase "we want to have a chance to get back out there and put it right quickly".

‌Players who have had a stinker, even if their team won, might also want to get out again as soon as possible to put it right in front of their fans, or 'reset'. The 'reset' argument is just current football jargon to say, "we will try to get it right next time, and we blew it this week, sorry".

‌The international break can also have the beneficial effect of taking your mind away from a bad defeat. This is not to say that you don't care, it is just that you must compartmentalise your thoughts and feelings. Footballers are among the best at this.

‌You simply cannot go to play for your national team and spend the time brooding about what happened against Brentford last week. That way lies madness and another poor performance, only this time in front of the entire nation.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Crystal Palace and France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 29, is a target for Manchester United as they look to strengthen their attacking options. (TeamTalk), external

United are also planning to offer new terms for English defender Luke Shaw, 31, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

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It's been a busy few days on the blue side of Manchester.

On the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast, BBC Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath react to Manchester City being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Manchester United content on BBC Sounds

Manchester United and Arsenal are both keeping a close eye on Porto's 22-year-old Portuguese right-back Alberto Costa, but face competition from Paris St-Germain. (Caughtoffside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Unbelievably, sensible and well-informed people are seriously discussing Manchester City getting a huge points deduction or being demoted or kicked out of the English leagues completely.

‌There is also reasonable talk about them being sued by just about every other major club in the domestic game, and a few beyond that. That is before you get to the concept of titles being stripped and trophies retrospectively re-awarded to others.

There is still an appeal to be heard, but they have been found guilty already. Serious consequences must be considered. Following the draconian punishments handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest, among others, City might find they don't just have the book thrown at them, it is the entire British Library lobbed in their general direction.

Those other clubs cooperated in the process. City have faced more charges and they involve larger sums and over a longer time period. In short, things are not looking good for the club that dominated English football for almost a decade.

This may be the biggest story in the Premier League's history and it is going to run and run.

Other serious considerations will follow hard on the heels of the Blues' dilemmas – specifically what long-term effects will this have on the Premier League? They will not all be good ones.

Some reasonably argue that the financial rules City have been found to have broken shouldn't have been put there in the first place. They were brought in to safeguard the financial security of the clubs and the league, but try telling that to many City, Everton and Nottingham Forest fans just now.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have plenty of financial backing, but these rules have hurt their ability to grow and stay competitive with the legacy clubs. This all feels unfair if you are a supporter of those two.

The money that will now be frittered away by the English game on lawyers and legal fees is eye-watering, and it will grow exponentially as the litigation increases.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Chelsea are monitoring Crystal Palace's England left-back Tyrick Mitchell, 27, but may face competition from Manchester United and Liverpool. (Caught Offside), external

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We asked you to rate Manchester United's start to the season and tell us what Michael Carrick should be focusing on during this extended international break.

Here are some of your comments:

Ricky: Slow, but not disastrous start. No need to hit the panic button! The first-team players that were late back after World Cup and the three new players in the midfield all need time to gel. I still believe a top-four finish is likely and they should give Carrick the full season.

Duncan: Not a great start, but some of the underlying stats are very positive. Let's not abandon ship just because the wind is blowing.

Godfrey: We should all calm down. Yes, the start of the season has been disappointing - there's no denying that. However, as Carrick keeps pointing out, there are a lot of results decided by fine margins. We finished last season with the most points from the games left from when Carrick took over. He deserves a full season to embed his ideas and get the new players settled in. Kobbie Mainoo has been immense so far and Marcus Rashford has looked good. He just needs a couple of goals and assists to settle him.

Hugh: United's start to this season has been really dismal, very poor. However, it is not a complete surprise. United failed to sign any of the top available players in the summer transfer market, and once again bought a player who was crocked. United are a badly run club now - just a commercial enterprise for very greedy and incompetent owners.

Bob: Having watched all the pre-season games, our comical defending has come as no surprise. However, the pedestrian football is back to the bad old days - possibly the Rashford effect. Carrick has three weeks to get to the bottom of it. Defeat by Tottenham really will mean we're in a crisis again.

Daniel Austin
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A 15-year-old growing up in the UK faces many tough personal decisions about their future - which school subjects to study, which social circle suits them, and where their priorities lie in life.

But in the past few weeks, the choices teenage Manchester United striker JJ Gabriel has been making about his future in football have drawn huge public attention in sports media.

Gabriel has informed the club that he wants to leave. BBC Sport has reported that he has stayed away from training and begun talking to other clubs because he and his representatives are unhappy with his progression.

The fact that a transfer saga involving a footballer so young could generate so much interest highlights a truth that to many is uncomfortable - money is changing how the football transfer market works, and children are increasingly deemed to be among its most valuable commodities.

So what is behind the rise in transfers involving boys who, in some cases, are not even old enough to have taken their GCSEs? And what kind of influence can the money on offer have on agents and parents?

Players can de-register from their academy at the end of their under-12, under-14 and under-16 seasons if they wish to explore options elsewhere.

They can be offered paid scholarship contracts from the season in which they turn 14, and they can sign professional deals from the season in which they turn 16.

Gabriel can also potentially join European clubs because he has an Irish passport.

"It is a really tough world," says Phil Jagielka, whose son Zac left Liverpool in 2024 and signed a scholarship deal at Hull City at 16. "Families want the best for their kids and you can't give them stick without knowing what their motivations are.

"The harsh reality is that if a young player fails to progress, or gets a bad injury, teams will stop being interested in them so there is an element of strike while the iron's hot."

The increasing allure of signing young academy players from rival clubs means some parents are now compiling data packs on their sons to give to potential clubs, and more and more children are being represented by football agents.

"There are good agents and bad agents," says Ryan Cardwell, a former youth scout at Liverpool and Southampton. "You certainly speak to some of them and think: 'That's completely the wrong idea' or 'This player is going to be misguided'.

"Sometimes they push for a move when a player isn't ready. The contracts can be enormous and can be a huge motivation to move. For that reason, I would quite like to see some form of financial cap."

Read the full article here

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Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey has been replaced by Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee in the Netherlands' squad for the remainder of the international break.

Brobbey, who has been named in Regis le Bris' starting XI for every Premier League fixture so far this season, was forced off with an apparent muscle injury in the first half of the Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Germany on Thursday.

The 24-year-old will return to Sunderland for treatment.

Brobbey went into the three-week break off the back of a hat-trick in Sunderland's 5-3 defeat by Manchester City.