mu

Sir Alex Ferguson has won more trophies than any other manager in English football and is considered one of the best in history.

Starting out as an apprentice tool-worker, Ferguson moved into to part-time football when he was 23. He turned professional and joined Dunfermline in 1964 where he played as a centre forward. But after an unsuccessful spell at Glasgow Rangers and further moves to Falkirk and Ayr United, he gave up playing ten years later to become a manager. He cut his teeth with East Stirling and St Mirren before moving to Aberdeen in 1978. Managing to break the old firm monopoly, Ferguson won the title in 1979/80, 1983/84 and 1984/85. His feat of winning the Cup Winners Cup against Real Madrid in 1883 will also go down as one of his proudest managerial achievements.

Manchester United came calling in1986 and after a slow start, he won his first trophy with the Red Devils, the 1990 FA Cup against Crystal Palace in the final. His next mission was to end the club's 26-year title draught. He achieved just that, but not before winning another Cup Winners Cup in 1991. His first title arrived in the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season, and he backed that up with the first of his doubles the next campaign.

sensational treble

Ferguson has won the Premier League ten times in all, and never been afraid to shake his squad up with key signings and departures which have generally proved to the club's benefit. In the summer of 1995 key men Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis all left the club but Ferguson had faith in youngsters David Beckham, the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, and they duly helped the club to the league title and FA Cup as Ferguson secured the second of the three domestic doubles he has won since moving to Old Trafford.

From a trophy perspective, Ferguson's stand-out seasons have so far proved to be the 1998/99 and 2007/08 campaigns. The Scot won a sensational treble of FA Carling Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup in 1999, with his side scoring twice in the dying seconds of the latter final to snatch the trophy from Bayern Munich's grasp when all looked lost and fans were starting to leave the Nou Camp stadium.

Last season, the 66-year-old won that trophy for the first time since 1999 as his side saw off Chelsea on penalties in Moscow after an exciting 1-1 draw. The Blues were the main challengers for the Barclays Premier League, but United finished as champions on the final day after defeating Wigan Athletic. It was their second league title in a row, having previously gone three years without winning it.

Ferguson, always aware of the need to invest and inject new life into his squad, has gradually replaced the youth who came through in the mid-90s, and it is now the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney who form the spine of a strong United squad.