Is Alex Ferguson about to retire?

There have been some very strong rumours floating about tonight that Sir Alex Ferguson will retire before the end of this week

By Adrian Collins

The Twitterverse and many of the major newspapers and sports outlets have been reporting that Sir Alex Ferguson is about to call time on his illustrious career at Manchester United.

According to The Telegraph, none of the club's senior figures have come out to confirm or deny the reports, despite repeated attempts at contacting them as a result of the rumours.

It seems the Scot is considering making an announcement before the game this weekend against Swansea, which has overshadowed the atmosphere for the players on their golf outing today.

The bookies have slashed odds on David Moyes taking over at Old Trafford this morning after a large amount of money was wagered on what was understood to be the solid information, and many of the larger bookmakers have stopped taking money on Ferguson leaving.

There has also been a lot of speculation surrounding Jose Mourinho, who will most likely be moving club come the end of the La Liga season.

Ferguson did state in the program notes before the defeat to Chelsea that he has no intention of stepping down, but the rumours and betting patterns have fuelled a lot of speculation on his future.