Sir Alex: I was close to tears
SIR ALEX FERGUSON was given a 20 per cent chance of survival by medics after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
The revelation of how close Ferguson came to losing his life is made in new film Never Give In about the life of the legendary Manchester United boss.
In the film, Ferguson reveals that five people were admitted to Salford Royal Hospital with brain haemorrhages on the same day, with only two of them surviving.
Ferguson, 79, talks candidly about his neardeath experience, admitting he feared dying after he collapsed at home in May 2018.
“I remember falling, after that I don’t remember a thing,” said Ferguson. “I just suddenly stopped. I was in no man’s land.
“That day there were five brain haemorrhages and three died. Only two survived, I was one of them. So you know you’re lucky.
“You’re looking out of the hospital window and you’re saying, ‘I wonder how many more sunny days I’m ever going to see again?’ I found that difficult.
“Then I lost my voice, I just couldn’t get a word out. That was terrifying, absolutely terrifying.
“Everything was going through my mind – ‘Is my memory going to be back and am I ever going to speak again?’
“Eventually, after 10 days, my voice came back. I realised then, having gone through all that, my memory was fine.”
Consultant neurosurgeon Joshi George said: “I remember estimating his mortality at 80 per cent, as in, an 80 per cent chance he would not survive.”
Reflecting on the first time he saw the film, directed by his son Jason and to be released in May, Ferguson said: “I was nearly crying at various parts of the film, I felt really emotional.”
NEIL WARNOCK is 72, going on 50, and has signed up for another season at Middlesbrough.
The man is a force of nature and is only a top Championship striker away from having a side good enough to get to the Premier
League. That’s why he is hanging in there for a record ninth promotion.
Plus he still has the fight of a rookie in his first season, exuding optimism, humour and resilience.