Sir Alex's first words as United manager

In the morning, Ron Atkinson was relieved of his managerial duties, despite delivering two FA Cups in memorable fashion, and the replacement was already lined up.

By around 21:15 GMT, Alex Ferguson had agreed to leave Aberdeen to head south to take on a massive job at Old Trafford.

Some of the press rather unfairly described it as a hotseat, considering Atkinson had spent five years in charge, and images of the badge cracked were splashed across the back pages on the morning after Ferguson being chosen to take over.

How little did they know.

Sir Alex had an incredible body of work on his CV at Pittodrie and experienced leading Scotland into the 1986 World Cup finals, when Jock Stein tragically passed away after suffering a heart-attack during the play-off win over Wales.

And it was Stein, a managerial titan who enjoyed sustained success at Celtic, including overseeing the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, who had passed on some words of wisdom to his assistant.

A stint at Leeds United had proved short lived for the man who guided the Bhoys to 10 Scottish top-flight titles, and Stein had attracted interest from the Reds in 1971, before Frank O'Farrell was hired.

While awaiting details of the financial arrangements to be finalised, Ferguson stressed that money had no factor in the decision, the boss spoke to reporters being officially unveiled at Old Trafford.

"Manchester United are the only club in the world I would have left Aberdeen to join," he said.

"I'm looking forward to a tremendous challenge. Everything has happened so fast that I'm slightly bewildered. 

"I recall the late Jock Stein once telling me that the biggest mistake he made was to turn down the Manchester United job.

"And I made sure that I wouldn't do the same, but it will be a great wrench to leave Aberdeen.

"After eight years of working with everyone at Pittodrie, I can't begin to express the sadness I feel. It has been an unforgettable experience."

Some reports claimed Ferguson was "under more pressure than anyone else in the league", as "the most famous football club in the world" continued to pursue the holy grail of a first league title since 1967.

A 2-0 defeat at Oxford United soon afterwards, in his first of 1,500 games in charge, highlighted the amount of work that needed to be done.

Mercifully, although it took time, the great man proved capable of taking United to heights never experienced before and a period of sustained success that cemented his status as one of the finest managers ever in world football.