Man Utd fans pick sides as Sir Alex Ferguson skips game after brutal Jim Ratcliffe call

Sir Alex Ferguson was not present at Old Trafford for Manchester United's Premier League match against Brentford after news broke that his ambassadorial contract would be stopped

Manchester United fans showed their support for Sir Alex Ferguson during the Red Devils' match against Brentford at Old Trafford.

Earlier in the week, it emerged that United's owners planned to end the former manager's multi-million pound ambassadorial contract. The Scot was reported to have been banned from the dressing room, and wasn't present for Saturday's league game.

Ferguson remains popular with fans, who sent a message to Ratcliffe early on in the first match since the bombshell news. Sections of the crowd were heard singing "Every single one of us, loves Alex Ferguson" during the first half at Old Trafford.

Rather than attending the game himself, Ferguson stayed north of the border on Saturday. He was spotted in Glasgow to take in the match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Parkhead.

Earlier in the week, former England defender Stuart Pearce urged United's underperforming players to cover Ferguson's wages. "Wouldn't it be good if the United squad said we'll fund that money per season to keep Alex in post because he's too important to this club?" he told talkSPORT.

Ferguson was the man in the dugout for all 13 of United's Premier League title wins. He left after their most recent title win in 2013, and the club have struggled to even challenge for top spot in a number of the seasons since.

Before the Brentford match, United sat in the bottom half of the table after going three league games without a goal. Current boss Erik ten Hag - who oversaw an eighth place finish last term - has seen pressure ramp up after a difficult start to the campaign.

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Ten Hag has been open about the challenge of replicating Ferguson's success, despite winning a pair of domestic cup finals across his first two seasons. “At the moment, we can't match the standards he set, but still we have won trophies,” the former Ajax boss said.

“We didn't, so far, get to challenge for the Premier League or Champions League titles, but that’s the ambition and the expectation, but still we've managed to win some trophies," he added. “I don’t think in terms of how many years you need. I want to win every game and I want to make every season a success, with trophies and with titles.

“I think about this and about how I have to win every game and how we, as a team, have to match the standards to win every game - then you get there, to where you have to be. Those are the expectations that Sir Alex set for this club.”

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