“I was there on his last day,” Rathbone told Football Presse. “And I’m thinking, ‘God, how am I here?’”
Ferguson gathered the young players and staff.
“He comes over and he’s got the sermon on the mount. He goes, ‘Sit down, lads. Sit down.’”
Then came the message.
“He says, ‘Warren and Butty, they’re hard on you, but that’s for a reason. This is the heaviest shirt in the world.’”
The meaning was clear.
“‘To go over the bridge to them boys and put that shirt on, you need to be something special. You can’t be a wilting violet. You’ve got to be a man. You’ve got to have a big heart.’”
Rathbone admits he felt overwhelmed.
“I’m thinking, ‘Why am I here?’ Like, unbelievable.”
Were there tears that day?
“Yes. Very much so.”
An era ended. And those inside the room felt every ounce of its weight.