Sir Alex Ferguson was taken to hospital from Old Trafford on Sunday before Manchester United’s Premier League match against Liverpool. The former manager had been meeting guests at the stadium, including cardiologist Dr. Aseem Malhotra, who posted a photograph with Ferguson on social media.

Malhotra wrote on X: “A privilege, honour and dream come true to be invited to spend some quality time with Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of the game against Liverpool today at Old Trafford.” It is not clear how soon after that meeting Ferguson was transported to hospital; he did not attend the game.

Ferguson missed Manchester United’s chaotic 3–2 victory, a match decided by Kobbie Mainoo’s 77th-minute strike. Mainoo celebrated a recent contract extension after scoring the match-winner.

Manchester United have yet to issue a formal statement on Ferguson’s condition. The Athletic reported the club described the situation as “not a medical emergency.” BBC Sport echoed that line and said club officials are “optimistic” Ferguson will soon be “fit enough” to return home.

Ferguson is widely regarded as the greatest manager in Premier League history. He guided Manchester United to 13 Premier League titles during a 27-year tenure and led the club to two Champions League triumphs. The 1998–99 season produced a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles, a feat not repeated by an English club until Manchester City in 2023. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City currently hold six Premier League titles.

Some observers noted past health concerns. In 2018 Ferguson suffered a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery. He recalled that episode in his documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, and said, “All of my life I have appreciated the NHS, none more so with that experience, they were fantastic. And I owe it to them really.”

Steve McClaren has described a clear split inside the Manchester United dressing room caused by the prolonged dispute between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag.

McClaren, who worked as Ten Hag’s assistant, said the issue came down to tactical demands and individual willingness to meet them. “Erik tried to impose his style and that’s why he had that fight with Ronaldo all the way through,” he said. “I said to Erik, very early, ‘It’s you or him.’”

He outlined the specific responsibilities Ten Hag expected from attackers when the team was out of possession. “Ronaldo was generally O.K., but he didn’t want to do the job that Erik wanted him to do. Or didn’t feel he was capable of doing it. The instructions out of possession were, ‘Get into the middle, as soon as you’re back, you’re the first press, then double run, even a triple run now and again.’”

McClaren recalled trying to persuade Ronaldo to accept the programme. “I used to say to Ronnie, ‘If you want to play, that’s what you’ve got to do.’ He’d argue, ‘Ah, nobody wants to press.’ I’d say, ‘Well, they’re all young lads, they can press.’” He added that Ten Hag wanted a collective effort: “It’s right that 11 players attack, 11 players defend. Not 11 players attack, 10 players defend. So I said, ‘You have to run, it’s simple, Ronnie. If you don’t, you don’t play.’”

On the wider impact, McClaren suggested the balancing act between accommodating an individual and enforcing a system divided opinion inside the squad. “Maybe other managers have tried to adapt and accommodate to get the best out of him. The balance of that was significant. You’ve probably got half the squad going, ‘We think Ronnie’s right,’ and half going, ‘We think Erik is right.’”

McClaren also reflected on changing attitudes to authority, drawing on his earlier time at Old Trafford. He spent 142 games under Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001 and warned that players now ask, “Can that man help us win football matches?” He added, “With Fergie, he was right or you were out. If you weren’t with him and he knew it, you were gone. And that’s the authority, the power that he had developed over years and years.”

Manchester United have reportedly added Atalanta midfielder Éderson to a shortlist of options to replace Casemiro ahead of next season. With Kobbie Mainoo expected to provide a ball-playing No. 6, United would still need an all-action box-to-box engine to cover the pitch in the manner of Declan Rice at Arsenal. Éderson fits that template.

A former manager described the Brazilian’s qualities as “great physical strength, with the ability to play box-to-box, back and forth, sustaining the pace of the game.” Links with Manchester United are not new, and The Guardian writes that sporting director Jason Wilcox is an admirer and “monitoring” him.

The market context helps explain United’s interest. The draft shortlist includes: Éderson (Atalanta, 26, contract expiry 2027); Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest, 23, 2029); Sandro Tonali (Newcastle, 25, 2028); Carlos Baleba (Brighton, 22, 2028 + 1); Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace, 22, 2029); Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart, 25, 2028); and Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid, 26, 2028). Some of those names carry premium valuations.

Elliot Anderson is widely thought to be valued in excess of $135 million (£100 million) by Nottingham Forest. Baleba and Wharton were reportedly in a similar bracket last summer; Baleba could now be in the $67.5–81 million range. Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni is another rumored option and is unlikely to come cheaper than $95 million.

By contrast, Éderson may be obtainable for a much lower fee. Representative André Cury suggested figures of around $35 million on the low end and up to $47 million as a high estimate. Cury added: “[Atalanta were asking for] a lot of money, between €60 million [$70.4 million] and €75 million ($87.9 million). He’s close to the end of his contract, they could reduce his price by half, to between €30 million ($35.2 million) and €40 million ($46.9 million), but he’s a spectacular player with some of the best stats in Europe for his position,” Cury said.