Man Utd star turned down offer to 'retire' under Sir Alex Ferguson after late U-turn

A Manchester United star says he turned down an offer to retire from football while still playing for the club under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson took over as Manchester United in November 1986, inheriting a team that was in danger of being relegated from the First Division.

Pressure on previous manager Ron Atkinson had long been growing, and after United lost six of their opening 13 matches, the club's hierarchy pulled the trigger and brought Ferguson in.

The Scot was tasked with not only building United back into being title challengers, but also changing the general culture in place at the club, and indeed across English football, at the time.

Ferguson took over at Manchester United in November 1986 (Image: Getty)

Ferguson installed a rule whereby players must not drink during a training session, and sold players that didn't conform to his discipline standards.

Centre-back Paul McGrath had been named in the First Division's Team of the Year at the end of the season prior to Ferguson's arrival, and would later be nominated for the 1987 Ballon d'Or.

But he was ultimately sold to Aston Villa in 1989, having had eight knee operations during his time at Old Trafford while also dealing with alcohol problems.

McGrath went on to become a club legend at Villa Park, making over 300 appearances in all competitions and winning the League Cup twice. He also received three further Ballon d'Or nominations.

Paul McGrath was a key player for both Man Utd and Aston Villa (Image: Getty)

But behind-the-scenes at the end of his spell at United, the Republic of Ireland international was locked in negotiations with United over whether to even continue his football career.

Then aged just 29, McGrath was told that United had proposed a package whereby he would retire from football altogether.

McGrath told The Telegraph in 2023 that he initially considered accepting the offer, but decided to change his mind after discussions with PFA representative Gordon Taylor.

He explained further to Sky Sports in 2024: "Gordon Taylor was invited in [to the negotiations]. And I loved Gordon Taylor - he was another God-send.

"He walked in and said, 'Paul, they're wanting you to retire. I think it's £100,000. But you have to pack up and go to Ireland'.

"And I said, 'I'd rather just fight it out with another club. I'll just leave Manchester United and go to a different club'.

"Gordon just went back and said exactly those words to Sir Alex.

"The next thing, a few days later, I'd heard that Aston Villa were in for me."

Ferguson claimed in his 1999 autobiography that he was 'convinced' that McGrath, who he said was put on a lower-intensity training regime at Villa, would not have hit the same high standards of performance if he'd stayed at United.

"Such easing of the load would have been hard to sustain at United, where every match has the intensity of a cup tie and players must be rigorously trained to meet extreme physical demands," he wrote.

"I'm convinced the changed McGrath we saw at Villa, would not have materialised at Old Trafford," Ferguson added, while also citing the defender's drinking habits while at United.

Despite the nature of his ending at Old Trafford, Ferguson and McGrath rebuilt their relationship in future years, and the centre-back was invited back to United - where he was already treated as a club legend - at the end of his playing career.

"I didn't particularly like Sir Alex to be honest," McGrath said of the pair's relationship when he was playing.

"But he was man enough to bring me back down to Manchester United when I finished my career and stuff like that.

"He was brilliant to me, and he'd always stop to say hello and shake my hands and stuff."