What Manchester United would give to have a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson again.

The Red Devils have been a mess since the Scot’s retirement in 2013. They’ve had three different permanent managers and there are suggestions that a fourth may soon be required.

Jose Mourinho has left the dressing room divided, with the Daily Mail reporting that Luke Shaw has no desire to sign a new contract while the Portuguese coach is in charge.

Under Ferguson, such squabbles were few and far between, and they certainly didn’t play out in public.

Ferguson, still a regular at Old Trafford at the age of 76, won everything there was to win at the club.

He’ll look back on his career with no regrets, although those lost finals probably still eat away at him at times.

And there were disappointments, particularly at the hands of Barcelona.

Ferguson's 2009 disappointment 

The Blaugrana beat Man United in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals; Fergie was unable to get the better of Pep Guardiola and his outstanding teams.

“Barça was the best team every to line up against my Manchester United sides,” Ferguson wrote in his 2013 autobiography.

Ferguson had respect for his opponent, but he was brutally honest towards his own team.

In his autobiography, which is being serialised in The Times, former midfielder Michael Carrick has revealed what Ferguson said to his players after the 2-0 defeat in the 2009 final.

"The Boss was understandably angry and had a go at everyone," Carrick wrote.

“'You need to have a look at yourselves and see if you can play at this level,' he said. Moscow [in 2008] was irrelevant.

"We were Manchester United and the expectation was relentless.

"'You’ve let a good chance slip away here,' he said.

"After he finished, I just questioned myself again and again. ‘Am I good enough?’”

Ferguson really managed to make his players question themselves.

It explains why they were able to return to the final two years later.

Although the outcome was, unfortunately for them, no different.