Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made a hefty donation to a former club in need as they gear up for the biggest game in their history.
United make the trip to fierce rivals Liverpool after the international break as they look to win back-to-back league games for the first time under Ruben Amorim.
The Manchester side recently scrapped the £2m per year they were paying Ferguson to act as the club’s global ambassador as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost cutting measure.
Sir Jim has made 450 job cuts at the club in the 18 months since he rocked up at Old Trafford in a bid to bring costs down at the Premier League powerhouse, with Fergie’s substantial wage among those saved.
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Even so, United had the money to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lemmens as they spent in excess of £200m over the summer.
And despite leaving his role as global ambassador, the ex-United boss still had enough money lying around to make a sizeable donation to a club close to his heart.
Fergie's five-figure donation revealed
Ferguson spent a year on the youth books at Glasgow side Benburg before going to play for Rangers and Scotland.
His private investment group will be used to help the club on their Scottish Cup run as they look to progress to the third round of the competition.
The Bens beat Cowdenbeath in the first round, which set up a meeting with Wick Academy later this month.
Should they beat Wick at the end of October, then Benburb will be in the hat for the third round of the competition, where they could come up against Scottish Premiership giants Celtic or Rangers.
The second-round match initially involved a 12-hour round trip for players and staff to play the most northerly professional side in Britain.
However, Ferguson’s £10,000 donation means they can travel to Wick the day before the game and enjoy comfortable accommodation ahead of the biggest game in their history.
Ferguson has never hidden his love for Benburb, previously saying: “The Bens were just down the road from where I was brought up.
“My dad and I would lean on those barriers at Tinto Park and watch them. I was part of their youth system for a year. We trained and played at Tinto Park.”
'We hope we can make him proud'
The 83-year-old’s generosity didn’t go unnoticed either as former Benburb player and manager Frank Lovering told The Times: “It is absolutely brilliant to have Sir Alex support us in this way.
“He is the greatest football manager of all time and it was wonderful to welcome him to the club.
“For all of his success he is a Govan man who is proud of his roots. He has never forgotten where he came from. We are delighted to accept Sir Alex’s offer and hope we can make him proud.”
Team co-manager Gordon Robertson added: “We were all ready to go up to Wick on the day of the match but this allows us to prepare properly for a huge game for the club. The players and staff are all thrilled by Sir Alex’s kind gesture.”
Topics: Sir Alex Ferguson, Football, Rangers, Manchester United
Ben McAleer