Sir Alex's pride at statue unveiling

Lady Cathy unveils the bronze statue

Sir Alex Ferguson revealed his pride after a statue of the most successful manager in United’s history was unveiled outside the Old Trafford stand named after him on Friday.

Ferguson’s wife, Lady Cathy – who he refers to as ‘the boss’ – revealed the bronze sculpture following a ceremony that paid tribute to his 26 glorious years at United.

Sir Alex, his wife Lady Cathy, Chief Executive David Gill, Sculptor Philip Jackson and presenter Eamonn Holmes

Around 2,500 fans braved the wet Manchester weather to attend the event, along with Sir Alex’s family, his current squad and dozens of his former players, including Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Members of United's current first-team squad watch the Ceremony

“It's a really proud moment for me,” Sir Alex said, before joking: “Normally people die before they have a statue. I'm outliving death!

“The boss [Lady Cathy] is a fantastic person. Someone has to control me and she's the only one who can. She has promised that every Saturday morning she's going to come down and bow to the statue!”

The statue’s sculptor, Philip Jackson, who was also responsible for the United Trinity and Sir Matt Busby statues at the stadium, spoke briefly about his latest project.

Jackson tried to portray Sir Alex as 'a man of great Determination and as a thinking man, but also with humour'

"I’ve tried to portray him as a man of great determination and as a thinking man, but also with humour, which he has in abundance, so there’s just a slight smile in the corner of his mouth. That’s really what I wanted to portray,” Jackson said.

Credit: http://www.manutd.com