Former Sir Alex Ferguson Man Utd favourite makes bold career move as he's spotted playing for a non-league side
The former Man United central midfielder has taken a step down to play non-league football.
The days of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United are long gone. Since he left, the Red Devils have struggled to get anywhere near the heights of the former United manager with the likes of David Moyes, Erik Ten Hag, Jose Mourinho and Ruben Amorim.
The latter has eased some of the pressure on him in recent weeks, but his United side are still struggling to push up the Premier League table towards the European places. There are no current United players who played under Ferguson at Old Trafford, with the longest serving being Luke Shaw, who signed the year after the Scottish manager left the club.
Several of Ferguson’s former players have retired since the manager left United, but there are a few names still playing remarkably. One of which was recently spotted playing for a non-league side aged 37.
Gibson spotted playing for Manchester-based non-league side
Midfielder Darron Gibson came through the academy at Man United, and he ended up playing for the club until 2012, making 60 appearances under Ferguson during his time at Old Trafford.
He won two Premier League titles, three League cups, and also appeared in the 2011 Champions League final when United lost 3-1 to Barcelona. He has since had spells with Everton, Sunderland, Wolves and Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
Gibson ‘retired’ in 2022 after playing for Wythenshawe FC in Manchester, and he has now been spotted playing for the same club recently, aged 37. A video on TikTok has emerged via the Sunderland Echo showing Gibson playing for the non-league club, sparking shock in many Manchester football fans to see a player of his calibre playing for a team in the seventh tier of English football, the Northern Premier League.
It is unclear yet whether Gibson’s return to football is a permanent one, and it may just be a low-key return to Wythenshawe FC. It is not clear whether he has signed for the club officially or if it is more of a return to benefit his overall fitness, but either way, it is exciting for the fans of Wythenshawe to see a former Ferguson favourite playing non-league football.
Gibson opened up on struggles during his playing days
The 37-year-old has clearly made a return to playing not for a financial reason, but because he wants to continue playing football, and clearly his body must still be able to hold up to regular minutes.
Gibson has opened up on mental health struggles that he found whilst he was playing, due to not being able to see his children often, and how things have improved for him since he retired, and being able to see his family more often.
Last year in an interview with Irish publication The 42, Gibson said: “When I was playing, I very rarely saw my kids. Taking them to school, to their friends, to football, all that has made me a happier person.”