Behind every strong general are faithful lieutenants and in Rob Swire lay the foundations for Sir Alex Ferguson in his unprecedented reign.
Scot Ferguson ended his 26-year managerial stint at United in 2013 having won a staggering 38 trophies, with the retiring Swire by his side from 1991.
Swire finally reached the head physio rank in 1999 and Ferguson said Swire’s outlook on life helped some of the biggest players in the game remain level-headed, a key factor in their phenomenal success.
“A lot of people in the game can get carried away with the celebrity status within it and of course we’ve had some fantastic stars at our club but it never affected staff like Rob,” Ferguson told the United website.
“They’ve always helped the players keep their feet on the ground and that’s credit to the kind of club we are.
“I had wonderful loyalty from Rob. He’s a good person and a lovely man. I never had one issue with him in all the time he was with me.”
Ferguson paid tribute to a number of loyal staff during his tenure.
“I was very lucky in that I had a lot of loyal people working for me during my time at the club, people like Rob, Les Kershaw, Dave Bushell, Jimmy Ryan, Paul McGuinness – they all worked for me for 20 to 25 years.
“I remember Rob starting at the club – he was a very keen young man and always very focused on trying to improve himself and learn more.”
Assistant manager Ryan Giggs, who hung up his playing boots at the end of last season having accumulated a record 963 appearances for the club, is looking forward to the future alongside Dutchman Louis van Gaal though he said Swire’s influence had been invaluable to his longevity.
“I would like to thank him for all his help and guidance over the years and for being instrumental in keeping me in the game for so long,” said Giggs.
“I know he will enjoy spending more time with his family and I’m sure we will see him watching a few games at Old Trafford next season.
“On behalf of everyone at Manchester United I would like to extend our warm wishes and congratulations to Rob on his retirement.”
Main image courtesy of Nike Football via YouTube, with thanks.
