Legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson paid a touching tribute to beloved former club receptionist Kath Phipps at a funeral service on Monday.
Phipps worked for United for over 55 years, having initially joined them in 1968 as a switchboard operator.
She worked in a number of roles at the club but mostly became known as a receptionist at the team’s training ground, where she built a strong bond with the players, her colleagues and even outsiders who regularly visited the facility.
Last month, United announced the heartbreaking news of Phipps’ passing, triggering an avalanche of tributes and messages of condolences.
Her funeral service was held earlier today and was attended by a litany of United legends and the club’s current crop of players led by Ruben Amorim.
Some of those present were Brian Kidd, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Roy Keane, Paul Parker, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin, Mark Hughes, Michael Carrick, Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
According to Manchester Evenings News, Eric Cantona sent his apologies as he was filming. Nemanja Vidic and Juan Mata had commitments in Serbia and Australia respectively.
Generations of Reds turned out this afternoon to pay their respects to Kath Phipps 🌹 pic.twitter.com/dsxcmXinIG
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 6, 2025
Showing our love to the late Kath Phipps ❤️ pic.twitter.com/E3MjgQlh3E
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 6, 2025
During the service, it emerged that multiple members of the United family had visited Phipps in her final weeks to check up on her.
Speaking at the occasion, Sir Alex said to the current squad, “Good result last night. Well done. Kathy would have loved that.”
When Ferguson visited Phipps in The Christie, she was enjoying a Bacardi and Coke. The Scot asked her, “Have you asked the doctor about that?” She responded, “I haven’t told him.”
Shortly after the funeral, Ferguson told BBC, “She was a special person, she loved people.”
“The thing that comes out of that is you look at her life and you can’t think of a moment when you can say she didn’t enjoy her life. She was a real United person.”
When asked about Phipps’ status as a United legend, Ferguson remarked, “Without question, 55 years! I did 26 and I thought that was unbelievable.”
“She was a fantastic person and I was really glad that all the players turned up. That was a brilliant moment and she would appreciate that.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken warmly about Kath Phipps inside and outside of Manchester Cathedral this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/IYPGClAa9w
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 6, 2025
Jonny Evans, who was really close to Phipps said, “A remarkable lady. She was the best on a good day and the best on a bad day.”
“Not one person ever walked past Kath without a short embrace. When she came back to work at the start of the summer I gave her a lift home. It was like driving royalty.”
Former club captain Bryan Robson told United media, “She was just fabulous. Right from when I came to the club in 1981, she started doing my mail and she was still doing it right up until the sad day when she died. But that was the woman she was, she was a great person.”
Peter Schmeichel also spoke lovingly about Phipps, stating, “I grew up as a Manchester United supporter and she was the very, very first Manchester United person that I ever met. Five years before I joined the club, I was here for an Under-21s international against England and we were playing that game at Maine Road.”
“I persuaded my coach to get the bus to go around Old Trafford so I could see it. I went into reception and Kath was there. I didn’t know it was Kath at that time, and she didn’t know who I was. I said ‘I am playing this game and I’m a big Man United fan, is there any chance that I could see the stadium from the inside?’ and she organised it.”
“Five years later, I joined the club and I spent a lot of time with her in the eight years I was here.”
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
