Since Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United, the Red Devils have been on a seemingly never-ending downward spiral, with manager after manager and CEO after CEO. 

It's quite the change from Ferguson's 26-year stint at Old Trafford, but it is the reality that United fans have been forced to live with for the last 13 years. 

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Erik ten Hag, Rúben Amorim, and now Michael Carrick – not to mention countless interim head coaches – have tried and ultimately failed to return Manchester United to the top of English and European football. 

Ferguson won 38 trophies during his time at Manchester United, including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles. 

However, the great manager has now revealed he was very close to leaving the game decades before his United career began. 

While he is known for his achievements as a manager, those who watched him will know Ferguson was quite a tidy player, too. 

From 1957 to 1974, Ferguson played 317 matches and scored 171 goals in Scotland, with over 40 appearances for Rangers and nearly 100 for Falkirk. 

In 1960, Ferguson joined St Johnstone, as he recalled with BBC Sport, but did not find game time easy to come by. 

"I wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't playing first-team football; I was in the reserves all the time," he said.

"I filled out all the forms and phoned my aunt in Canada, because you needed a sponsor then, and never told my mother and father."

Luckily for Ferguson and Manchester United fans, an illness took over the St Johnstone dressing room, handing the centre-forward a rare start. Some youngsters would struggle in the same situation, but Ferguson netted a hat-trick at the Ibrox. 

When recalling the experience, Ferguson said: "I would say this to young people – don't miss the biggest opportunity in your life. It's recognising it."

For those who do not regularly follow Manchester United, it is difficult to understand the impact Sir Alex Ferguson had on the club. They will know what he won and how he won it, but not the lessons passed through the squad, the feelings felt by the crowd, or even the impact he is still having now. 

United have endured a poor start to the season under Michael Carrick, but despite a health scare which saw him taken to hospital and a protective boot on his foot, Ferguson has continued to follow the side and show his face at games. 

For those watching at home, they see a man who gave everything to Manchester United and still wants to show his support in dark times. And for those at the ground, who will not be able to see him as there are no big screens at Old Trafford, they will still feel his presence. 

Sir Alex Ferguson transcends football, and he always will.