Shortly after Sir Alex Ferguson secured his 13th Premier League title with Manchester United in the 2012/13 season, he surprised the football world by announcing that the remaining fixtures of the season would be his last in charge before retiring.
It meant the final game of his illustrious 26-year tenure would be concluded in May 2013, when West Brom hosted the Red Devils at The Hawthorns.
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An incredible contest saw the two sides share the points in a sensational 5-5 draw – the highest-scoring draw in Premier League history and the only time each side has scored five times in one game. United’s starting lineup that day featured several players who would witness contrasting futures in the years that followed.
Football FanCast takes a look at the final starting XI named by Sir Alex and how their careers panned out following the retirement of the legendary Scottish manager.
Goalkeeper: Anders Lindegaard
After signing the Danish goalkeeper in January 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson described Anders Lindegaard as “one of the brightest young 'keepers in the game”, though the majority of his time at the club was spent on the sidelines as a backup option to Edwin van der Sar and David de Gea.
The Dane would only feature three more times for the club following Ferguson’s retirement, before joining West Brom in 2015. After making just one appearance for the Baggies, Lindegaard would drop down the leagues on an initial loan move to Preston North End which would later become permanent.
Only a year later, the 'keeper was on the move again, this time joining Sean Dyche’s Burnley side, where he was again utilised as a backup option.
In 2023, Lindegaard retired from professional football having spent the final four seasons of his career playing for Swedish side Helsingborgs.
Right-back: Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia would go on to be one of the longest-serving United players following the retirement of Ferguson, spending a decade at the club since arriving from Wigan Athletic in 2009.
The Ecuadorian became a key figure in the side under each of the managers that followed, and in 2014, became the new club captain, becoming the first non-European player in United’s history to claim the armband.
In 2019, Valencia would leave the club to go back to his native Ecuador with LDU Quito, after making 339 appearances for United.
After a year in Ecuador, Valencia would end his career in Mexico, where he spent six months with Queretaro FC, before announcing his retirement from the sport in May 2021.
Centre-back: Phil Jones
Of all the starters from the game against West Brom, none would stay at the club for longer than defender Phil Jones.
Despite spending over a decade at the club since joining in 2011, Jones left the club following the end of his contract in 2023 having endured a rather miserable time at Old Trafford.
After securing his 13th and final title that season, Ferguson famously said that Jones “could be [United’s] best-ever player”, though years of inconsistency and injury troubles meant the defender was never able to settle into the plans of future managers.
Jones is currently without a club since leaving United, though he has not officially announced his retirement.
Centre-back: Jonny Evans
After coming through the ranks in the United youth setup in 2007, Jonny Evans would be Sir Alex Ferguson’s trusted backup option for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic over the years they would spend together.
When David Moyes and Louis van Gaal succeeded Ferguson over the next two seasons, Evans was never able to cement himself in the plans of his new coaches. Ahead of the 2015/16 season, the Northern Irishman moved to West Brom on a permanent deal.
After three seasons with the Baggies, Evans moved across the West Midlands to sign for Leicester City, where he enjoyed a successful five-year spell, featuring in the Foxes’ first-ever FA Cup-winning side in the 2020/21 season.
Evans left Leicester following their disappointing relegation in the 2022/23 campaign, making a surprise return to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side shortly after, eight years after his initial departure.
Left-back: Alexander Buttner
Moving on to the left side of the defence, perhaps the least established player who started Ferguson’s final game was Alexander Buttner. The Dutch left-back had only joined the club that season from Vitesse Arnhem and played 13 times in all competitions as United won the league.
Under David Moyes, Buttner was again utilised as more of a backup option, making another 15 appearances for the club.
When Louis van Gaal took over the managerial role ahead of the 2014/15 season, Buttner was promptly sold to Russian side Dinamo Moscow, where he would spend the next three seasons of his career – including a brief loan spell to Anderlecht – before returning to Vitesse in the January 2017 window.
Since being released in 2019, the defender has made numerous moves around the world, from New England Revolution in the United States to RKC Waalwijk in his native Netherlands, before most recently moving to Dutch second-division side De Graafschap in the summer of 2022.
Defensive midfield: Anderson
A player who never really reached his true potential under Ferguson was Brazilian midfielder Anderson.
Like several other players, Anderson saw his playing time reduced severely under the Scot's successors, and halfway into David Moyes’ single season at the club, he was sent out on loan to Italian side Fiorentina.
Louis van Gaal was the next manager to overlook the midfielder, and in February 2015, he secured a permanent move away from the club, joining Brazilian side Internacional.
Two years later, in February 2017, Anderson moved on loan to Coritiba before being released by Internacional the following year.
In September 2019, Anderson announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 31, having spent the final year of his career playing in Turkey with Adana Demirspor.
Defensive midfield: Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is commonly regarded as one of England’s most underrated midfielders of his generation, though Manchester United fans could tell you just how vital he was to the club’s success during his time there.
The Englishman was favoured by each of the managers who followed Sir Alex Ferguson, with his experience and leadership being a huge factor.
Carrick would remain at the club for the rest of his career until his retirement following the 2017/18 season, having played 464 times in 12 years at Old Trafford.
Since retiring, Carrick has gone into football management and had a brief stint as caretaker manager for United after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021.
In October 2022, Carrick was appointed as the head coach of Championship side Middlesbrough, who he guided to the play-offs later that season before eventually falling short.
Right-midfield: Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley was another of Ferguson’s young players who came through the ranks in the later years of his career, being integrated into the side in the 2011/12 season.
The midfielder would be heavily involved in the United side under David Moyes, making 22 league appearances in 2013/14, though he was not able to impress Louis van Gaal enough to keep his place in the side.
In the following years, Cleverley had a loan spell with Aston Villa and a brief stint with Everton, before finally settling down with Watford, joining the club in 2017 for a fee of around £9m.
After six years at Vicarage Road, Cleverley retired in the summer of 2023 aged 33, having struggled with injuries in the final years of his career.
Left-midfield: Shinji Kagawa
After enjoying an impressive debut season at Old Trafford in the 2012/13 season, Shinji Kagawa looked as though he would star in Manchester United’s midfield in the coming years.
When Ferguson retired, however, the Japan international never really recovered his form. After going goalless in 30 appearances in the 2013/14 season, Kagawa re-joined Borussia Dortmund the season after, where he would spend the next five years of his career before moving on several occasions in the years that followed.
The final six months of his Dortmund contract were spent on loan in Turkey with Besiktas before he made a surprising move to Spanish second-division side Real Zaragoza.
Since leaving Spain in 2020, Kagawa played in Greece with PAOK Salonika and endured a short spell in Belgium with Sint-Truiden, before returning to Japan in February 2023 with former club Cerezo Osaka at the age of 33.
Attacking midfield: Javier Hernandez
Javier Hernandez is another player who everyone at Old Trafford adored during his time at the club.
The Mexican forward was Ferguson’s super-sub, known for his impact from the bench. Like Kagawa, however, Chicharito was never able to replicate his goalscoring form for United following the manager's retirement in 2013.
In the 2014/15 season, Hernandez spent the season on loan with Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he scored nine goals in all competitions, one of which was a famous late winner in the Champions League to knock out local rivals Atletico Madrid.
After returning from his loan spell, Hernandez was sold to German side Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent the next two years, before returning to the Premier League with West Ham United.
In September 2019, he moved to Sevilla in Spain, though after just four months, he left the club in favour of MLS, joining LA Galaxy in January 2020, where he has since settled.