Sir Alex Ferguson was due to present the prestigious end-of-season award this week, but the Manchester United icon was forced to skip the ceremony due to health concerns.
Sir Alex Ferguson was due to watch Man United v Liverpool before health concerns (Image: Getty Images)
Sir Alex Ferguson has been forced to miss this week’s LMA Awards due to a health scare at Old Trafford. The Manchester United icon was due to present an award named after him, which recognizes the manager of the season inside England’s pyramid.
However, a minor health scare earlier this month forced him to take a step back and he was replaced by England manager Thomas Tuchel. The German presented the award to Coventry City manager Frank Lampard, who masterminded the Sky Blues’ return to the Premier League.
Tuchel said: “Of course, it would not be the same without Sir Alex himself. We wish him the best of luck and a speedy recovery and, hopefully, he will be on stage with us again next year. Until then, I have the honor of reading this letter to you, Frank.”
Then he began reading a small letter from Ferguson. He added: “Dear Frank, congratulations on being named LMA Manager of the Year. You should be very proud of what you and your team have achieved.”
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“Your personality as a coach and leader was clearly evident in how your team played some great football this season with confidence and confidence, and I enjoyed watching you.
“While speaking to you, I found that you possess the important qualities of great humility and a curiosity to learn. Frank, I am sure that winning this award means a lot to you. We wish you the best of luck in the Premier League next season.”
Ferguson, 84, endured a health scare earlier this month just before he was due to watch United play Liverpool. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but the action was precautionary.
Former United star Michael Owen provided an update earlier this month, saying: “I spoke to him. We were on the phone for 40 minutes that morning. We talk about football and we talk about horses.”
Thomas Tuchel replaces Sir Alex Ferguson at the LMA Awards (Image: Getty Images)
“Like I said, he has horses here (Manor House Stables). Most Saturday mornings he calls me and we go over all the horses for the day and share what we know and so on.”
“I speak to him regularly and his voice was really nice and sharp as always,” he added. “We used to talk a lot about Scottish football and what was going on there, so it was understandably a huge shock to hear that he was taken in unwell the next day, but we hope it’s not too serious.”
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