Rio Ferdinand has theory on why Sir Alex Ferguson announced Man United retirement in 2002

Rio Ferdinand admitted he was suspicious when Sir Alex Ferguson dropped his first retirement bombshell as Manchester United manager.

The legendary Scotsman walked away from Old Trafford in 2013 after 27 years of managing the club. However, 11 years before his emotional exit, Ferguson shocked the world when he said he was going to leave Old Trafford and walk away from football altogether.

At the time, his contract was due to expire in 2002, and while Ferguson said he was walking away due to concerns with his age and health, various reports cited a rift between him and the United board. As United fans prepared themselves for life without the ex-Aberdeen boss, Ferdinand admitted he was not convinced that Ferguson really wanted to leave.

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On the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand said: "We thought he [Ferguson] was trying to get a new deal," to which former United CEO Peter Kenyon replied: "I think he did," with a smirk on his face.

He then added: "But no, there was genuine stuff going on, and at that point he thought that's what he wanted to do."

While Ferguson was grappling with his decision, United were not faring well on the pitch. During the 2001/02 season, United were in ninth by December and were watching £28.1million midfield summer signing Juan Sebastian Veron falter on the pitch.

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Ferguson would perform his U-turn in February 2002, which led to a stunning upturn of form which saw them win 13 of their next 13 matches. While they were not able to catch eventual title winners Arsenal, they did manage to grab third spot, which was an impressive recovery given the earlier circumstances.

Had Ferguson not changed his mind, United had their eye on a shock appointment to fill the void left by the Scot. Kenyon said the club harboured ambitions of hiring Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, as the Frenchman was one of only two managers to pip United to the Premier League title at the time.

United also looked to tempt Sven Goran-Eriksson, who had only recently taken up his position with England. The Swede even claimed he signed a contract to replace Ferguson before he opted to stay with the club.

Kenyon was able to confirm Eriksson's claim, but insisted United were yet to follow suit at the time. Ferguson did regain the Premier League title in the following campaign but had to wait four more years to repeat the feat. They lagged behind the Arsenal Invincibles and Jose Mourinho's first Chelsea team who won two consecutive titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Over the next seven seasons, Ferguson's United side dominated English football by winning five of the next seven Premier League titles and a Champions League. He is still the last United manager to win the Premier League or the Champions League, despite his retirement in 2013.

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