Skip to main content
SI

Sir Alex Ferguson Message Sent by Michael Carrick After Hospitalization

Reports of an update on the health of Man Utd’s legendary manager have emerged.
Sir Alex Ferguson (left) received a message of encouragement from Michael Carrick.
Sir Alex Ferguson (left) received a message of encouragement from Michael Carrick. | Max Mumby/Indigo/Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick hoped that Sunday’s victory over Liverpool would give Sir Alex Ferguson “a good boost” after the legendary former boss was taken to hospital ahead of kickoff.

Ferguson fell ill in the tunnel area of Old Trafford by the corner of the pitch shortly before the latest installment of English soccer’s most historic rivalry. This procedure was widely described as nothing more than a “precautionary measure” at the time in the hope of dispelling fears over the 84-year-old’s health.

When confronted with assembled media in the aftermath of Sunday’s 3–2 win, Carrick revealed: “I haven’t got any updates so I don’t know the latest. I did hear about it before the game so I was aware about that.

“All I can say is I was very affected by the news. I hope he is all right. We hope him to be in good shape and we we wish him all the best and hopefully the result gives him a good boost.”

United secured Champions League qualification with the chaotic win over their rivals but thoughts were naturally diverted towards the absent icon.


Ferguson ‘O.K.’ After Medical Precaution

Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson was taken away from Old Trafford in an ambulance. | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The few updates that have emerged about Ferguson’s health have been encouraging. The Press Association quoted a source who described the former manager as “O.K.” on the day of Ferguson’s hospitalization.

Concerns over Ferguson are to be expected given his age and past health struggles. The former Aberdeen and Scotland boss was forced into emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage in 2018.

“There were five brain hemorrhages that day,” Ferguson would recall in his documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In. “Three died. Two survived. You know you are lucky.

“It was a beautiful day, I remember that. I wondered how many sunny days I would ever see again. I found that difficult.”

Ferguson would make a full recovery, returning to Old Trafford five months after surgery when he was treated to a 27-minute long standing ovation, one minute for each year of his trophy-laden tenure.

The retired coach has spoken openly about his health concerns in the past, with a particular wariness around dementia, a disease which afflicted his brother. “When you get to my age, you do have a little worry about whether your memory is going to stand up,” Ferguson told the BBC earlier this season.

“There are moments when I forget things. I probably did that 20 years ago, 30 years ago... no-one’s blessed with a 100% memory. But when it comes to football, when I was a manager, the memory has always been important. Now I do a lot of crosswords, I sing a lot and read.”


READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published | Modified
Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.