Sir Alex Ferguson: ‘It could be ten years for Man United to win the league’

Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club after the 2012/13 season, Man United have not won the Premier League. Over the past 12 years, they have gone through six permanent managers - David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim - without lifting the league trophy.

The situation has been even tougher for Amorim, who finished last season in 15th place, the lowest position in the club’s Premier League history. United also lost 0-1 to Tottenham in the Europa League final, missing out on a place in the Champions League.

Reflecting on Amorim’s struggles, Sir Alex Ferguson said in the interview: “He [Amorim] is a good personality. It is not easy. I remember looking back on my own time there, starting off when Liverpool were the bee’s knees. They were a fantastic club winning the European Cup four times and all that, but then it took them 31 years to win the league again.

“We are now in the same situation. It could be ten years, could be 11 years, because of that cycle. It has to be thought out carefully and we have to make sure the recruitment is going to be better than what it was”.

Despite the bleak outlook, Sir Alex pointed to positives in the club’s recent recruitment. He spoke highly of Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, praising their impact and saying they will “contribute to the recovery of our form”.

Amorim later responded to Ferguson’s comments, saying: “He [Ferguson] understands football more than me, especially English football,” the Portuguese said. “We will not take that long to win a league [though] I don't know which manager [will be here then].”

Next, Man United will travel to Villa Park to face third-placed Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side are in strong form with 33 points after 16 matches, including a six-game winning streak. A United win would close the gap to Villa, while a defeat could see them lose their place in the top six.