Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the most decorated managers in the history of football, has opened up about the fear he felt returning to Old Trafford for the first time after suffering a brain haemorrhage in May 2018 — and the extraordinary life that led him there.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ferguson recalled the anxiety of walking back into the stadium four months after emergency surgery. "I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn't," he admitted. He need not have worried. As he and his wife Cathy took their seats in the directors' box, the crowd rose to greet them with a standing ovation. "My wife was with me, and she was nearly crying. When we sat down, she said 'that's fantastic'."

A voice lost, then found again

Ferguson, who was 76 at the time of the haemorrhage and had already been retired five years, described the days after surgery as among the most frightening of his life. "I had lost my voice; I couldn't speak," he said. "I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice."

Recovery came through speech therapy, with exercises as simple as writing down the names of birds, animals, and rivers. Now approaching 85, Ferguson says: "I'm feeling quite good despite small injuries."

A new book, 21 defining games

Ferguson has written Games of My Life, a memoir built around 21 matches that shaped his playing and managerial career — from a school cup final for Govan High School in Glasgow in 1955, when he was just 13, to his retirement from Manchester United in 2013 after winning 38 trophies in 26 years.

"That was my starting point," he said, holding the medal he received from that 1955 cup win. Ferguson credits his upbringing in Govan as "the making of me," drawing inner confidence from his mother Elizabeth and a relentless drive to succeed from his father Alexander, who worked in the Govan shipyards on the River Clyde.

Almost lost to Canada

Before he conquered Europe with Manchester United, Ferguson nearly abandoned football altogether. During a frustrating stint in the reserves at St Johnstone as a young man, he quietly filled out forms to emigrate to Canada. He even phoned an aunt there, needing a sponsor to make the move.

The very next day, a flu epidemic left St Johnstone short-handed ahead of a match against Rangers at Ibrox. The 21-year-old was thrown into the starting lineup — and scored a hat-trick. "I would say this to young people — don't miss the biggest opportunity in your life. It's recognising it," he said.

Selling Ince — and no regrets

The interview, conducted before the Premier League announced that Manchester City had been found guilty of breaching financial regulations, also featured letters from furious Manchester United fans written in 1995 protesting the potential sale of midfielder Paul Ince to Inter Milan. One read: "Don't sell Incey to Inter — or you'll regret it."

Ferguson sold Ince for £7.5 million, with his eye already on a younger generation. "I'm looking at Paul Scholes and I said 'should we?' Milan's offer went from £7m to £7.5m and I said 'do it'," Ferguson recalled. "That's what your job is as a manager. You have to make hard decisions."

The pair fell out publicly — Ferguson once called Ince a "big-time Charlie," a remark he later said he regretted — but have since reconciled. "He's a good friend of mine," Ferguson said. "He used to come over and play snooker with me."

You can't win anything with kids — or can you?

After Ince and forward Mark Hughes departed Manchester United in the summer of 1995, former Liverpool and Scotland defender Alan Hansen declared on television: "You can't win anything with kids," following a 3-1 opening-day defeat to Aston Villa. Ferguson's response was to unleash a generation of youth players — Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham among them.

By May 1996, Manchester United had won the Premier League and FA Cup double. "They added something. Apart from the great abilities they had, they had desire," said Ferguson.

He revealed that David Beckham, sent on loan to Preston in March 1995, feared he was being pushed out of the club. "He thought I was trying to get rid of him, which was not true," Ferguson said. "David was the last to really develop because of his physique. Although he grew to 6ft, he was small and thin as a young kid."

Ferguson said his trust in youth players was a philosophy that stretched back to his time managing St Mirren and Aberdeen: "If you give them an opportunity there are two things that happen — they become real stars and they can remain loyal to you as a manager."