Manchester United's Ten Hag the latest to wilt in Ferguson's shadow

LONDON : Alex Ferguson may have been stripped of his Manchester United ambassadorial role last week but his legacy as manager remains a stifling cloud for those following in his footsteps, with Erik ten Hag the latest to be jettisoned after failing to measure up.

Results under the Dutchman were disappointing from the start, and the temporary lifts gained from winning the League and FA Cups were never going to be likely to satisfy the modern generation of fans or the new ownership who expect instant success at the highest level for their huge investment.

For supporters of a generation who still consider the Premier League to be a new-fangled marketing ploy, two Wembley triumphs in two years would have been considered a reasonable return for a club that went 26 years without winning the title.

Ferguson, however, transformed that mentality with his extraordinary 26-year tenure that enabled the long-suffering United fans to gorge on trophies - an incredible 39 of them.

It is often conveniently overlooked that the Scot's first four years were totally barren, but he was given far more time to turn things around than any of those who succeeded him.

United, who had last won the league in 1967, finished 11th, 2nd, 11th, 13th and sixth in Ferguson's first five seasons and did not get their hands on the title until 1993 after Ferguson had been trying and failing for seven years.

However, United's subsequent total domestic dominance and two Champions League triumphs utterly changed the expectations of supporters who grew to know only success.

Few could have predicted when Ferguson finally stepped down in 2013, having won the Premier League for an incredible 13th time, that 11 years later United would not only not have won it again but