Road near Old Trafford renamed after Ferguson

MANCHESTER, England (AP) First came the stand, then a bronze statue. Now Alex Ferguson has had a road named after him close to Old Trafford to honor his near-27 years of service at Manchester United.

Surrounded by family, friends and United fans on a gray afternoon in Manchester, the 71-year-old Scot unveiled the road sign named "Sir Alex Ferguson Way" on a street adjacent to United's stadium.

"You don't expect these things in life," said a beaming Ferguson, who earlier Monday was given the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Trafford at a formal ceremony nearby.

Ferguson ended his trophy-laden spell in charge of United in May and is now a director at the Premier League club. One of the sides of Old Trafford is home to the "Sir Alex Ferguson Stand," while the former manager is also immortalized in a nine-foot statue outside the ground.

He left United as English champions for the 20th time but the team is languishing in ninth place in the standings after seven games of the new season under successor David Moyes, further enhancing Ferguson's legacy.

"I'd like to thank Manchester United for inviting me down here, 26 years ago. It was a fantastic elevation in my life and a challenge that I accepted. And we are where we are now," Ferguson said. "I still think that a lot of our young fans don't remember that there were bad days. Dealing with bad days is what we're good at. This club will always go on."

Another former United manager, the late Matt Busby, also has a street named after him close to the stadium.