Editing Alex Ferguson (section)

====United's European firsts and Ferguson's seconds====
[[File:Alex Ferguson mars 1992.JPG|thumb|right|Ferguson in 1992]]
Although United's league form improved greatly in [[1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season|1990–91]], they were still inconsistent and finished sixth. There were some excellent performances that season, including a 6–2 demolition of Arsenal at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], but results like an early 2–1 loss at newly promoted [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], a 4–0 September hammering by Liverpool at Anfield, and a 2–0 home defeat by [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in early March (the game where 17-year-old talented prospect [[Ryan Giggs]] made his senior debut) showed that United still had some way to go.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-07 |title=Manchester United - Fixtures & Results 1990/1991 |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/manchester-united/1991/3/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=worldfootball.net |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Diller |first=Kyle |title=Manchester United History: 1990-99 |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1180672-manchester-united-history-1990-99 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>

Even after the FA Cup victory in the previous season, some still had doubts about Ferguson's ability to succeed where all the other managers since [[Matt Busby]] had failed&nbsp;– to win the league title.<ref name="Pressure"/> They were runners-up in the [[1991 Football League Cup Final|League Cup]], losing 1–0 to [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]. However, they won the [[1991 European Cup Winners' Cup Final|European Cup Winners' Cup]], beating that season's Spanish champions [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] 2–1. It would be United's only Cup Winners' Cup title.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bostock |first=Adam |date=2020 |title=Glory Days: United's second European trophy |url=https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/glory-days-how-man-utd-won-the-european-cup-winners-cup-in-1991}}</ref> After the match, Ferguson vowed that United would win the league the following season, and at long last he seemed to have won over the last of his sceptics after nearly five years in the job.<ref name="mml302">Ferguson, p. 302</ref>

During the 1991 close season, Ferguson's assistant Archie Knox departed to Rangers to become assistant to [[Walter Smith]], and Ferguson promoted youth team coach [[Brian Kidd]] to the role of assistant manager in Knox's place.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fifield |first=Dominic |date=2013-05-08 |title=From Archie Knox to Mike Phelan: Sir Alex Ferguson's seven lieutenants |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/08/alex-ferguson-number-twos-manchester-united |access-date=2024-10-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He also made two major signings – goalkeeper [[Peter Schmeichel]] and defender [[Paul Parker (footballer)|Paul Parker]] – to bolster his side.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staplehurst |first=Jack |last2=Austen-Hardy |first2=Patrick |date=2024-06-02 |title=I told United boss I was tempted by move - what he said next changed my career |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-utd-transfer-manager-29270551 |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Manchester Evening News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Parker Defender, Profile & Stats {{!}} Premier League |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/317/Paul-Parker/overview |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=www.premierleague.com |language=en}}</ref> There was much anticipation about the breakthrough of the young Ryan Giggs, who had played twice and scored once in the 1990–91 campaign, and the earlier emergence of another impressive young winger in the shape of [[Lee Sharpe]], who despite their youth had made Ferguson feel able to resist plunging into the transfer market and buying a new player to take over from the disappointing Danny Wallace on the left wing. He had also added Soviet midfielder [[Andrei Kanchelskis]] to the right wing, giving him a more attacking alternative to older midfielders [[Mike Phelan]] and Bryan Robson.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=English Football Stats - League Stats - Manchester United - Results - 1991/92 |url=http://www.englishfootballstats.co.uk/League%20Stats/League%20Results/Manchester%20United/1991-92.htm |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.englishfootballstats.co.uk}}</ref>

The [[1991–92 Manchester United F.C. season|1991–92 season]] did not live up to Ferguson's expectations and, in Ferguson's words, "many in the media felt that [his] mistakes had contributed to the misery".<ref name="mml311">Ferguson, p. 311</ref> United won the [[1992 Football League Cup Final|League Cup]] and [[1991 European Super Cup|European Super Cup]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Manchester United football club match record: 1992 |url=https://www.11v11.com/teams/manchester-united/tab/matches/season/1992/}}</ref> both for the first time, but lost out on the [[1991–92 Football League#First Division 2|league title]] to rivals [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] after leading the table for much of the season. A shortage of goals and being held to draws by teams they had been expected to beat in the second half of the campaign had proved to be the undoing of a United side who had performed so well in the first half of the season. Ferguson felt that his failure to secure the signing of [[Mick Harford]] from [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] had cost United the league, and that he needed "an extra dimension" to the team if they were to win the league the following season.<ref name="mml320">Ferguson, p. 320</ref>

During the 1992 close season, Ferguson went on the hunt for a new striker. He first attempted to sign [[Alan Shearer]] from [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]], but lost out to [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redmond |first=Robert |date=2018-09-23 |title=The exact reason why Alan Shearer didn't join Manchester United has been revealed |url=https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/alan-shearer-man-united-137764 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=SportsJOE.ie |language=en-US}}</ref> He also made at least one approach for the Sheffield Wednesday striker [[David Hirst (footballer)|David Hirst]], but manager [[Trevor Francis]] rejected all offers and the player stayed put. In the end, he paid £1&nbsp;million for 23-year-old [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]] striker [[Dion Dublin]] – his only major signing of the summer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=George |date=2024-02-20 |title=I was told I wasn't allowed to join Utd - what I did next is my biggest regret |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-transfer-ferguson-news-25402113 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Manchester Evening News |language=en}}</ref>

After a slow start to the [[1992–93 Manchester United F.C. season|1992–93 season]] by sitting 10th at the beginning of November, it looked as though United would miss out on the [[1992–93 FA Premier League|league]] title yet again. However, after the purchase of French striker [[Eric Cantona]] from Leeds for £1.2&nbsp;million, the future of Manchester United, and Ferguson's position as manager, began to look bright.<ref>{{Cite web |title=30 years ago: The phone calls that took Cantona to Man Utd |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/59999 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.premierleague.com |language=en}}</ref> Cantona formed a strong partnership with Mark Hughes. On 10 April 1993, United were second in the league when they faced Sheffield Wednesday at home. United were losing with four minutes to go before [[Steve Bruce]] equalised. After seven minutes of injury time – which was subsequently dubbed "Fergie Time", alluding to extra minutes allegedly being granted to Ferguson's teams to get a goal – Bruce scored the 97th-minute winner, with Ferguson [[goal celebration|celebrating the goal]] by running from his dugout on to the touch line, while assistant Brian Kidd ran on to the field.<ref name="Fergie Time">{{cite news |title=From the Vault: Manchester United, 'Fergie Time' and Steve Bruce's headers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/apr/10/vault-steve-bruce-headers-manchester-united |access-date=15 October 2018 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Seen as being a decisive victory, it put United top of the league, where they remained. Winning the title ended United's 26-year wait for a league title, and also made them the first [[List of English football champions#Premier League (1992–present)|Premier League champions]]. United finished with a ten-point margin over runners-up [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], whose 1–0 defeat at [[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|Oldham Athletic]] on 2 May 1993 had given United the title. Ferguson was later voted [[LMA Manager of the Year|Manager of the Year]] by the [[League Managers' Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1993 |title=1992/93: The season that changed everything |url=https://www.manutd.com/en/1992-1993-season |website=Manutd.com}}</ref>