Now Fergie is fitted with a pacemaker

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had a pacemaker fitted, it was revealed today.

The club's website said it had been a straightforward procedure and he was back at training the next day.

It is the latest blow to Manchester United, whose fortunes have dipped, and again raises questions about how long Sir Alex can remain in charge.

On Tuesday night, United were knocked out of the Champions League by Porto, and they are trailing Arsenal in the Premiership.

In a statement Sir Alex, 62, said: "I want to reassure the fans that everything is okay. I feel fine. It was an option for me to get this done, the club knew about it and I feel great. It's business as usual." He spent two hours in hospital last week after a heart irregularity was found during a routine check-up several months ago. At the time he insisted it would not have any effect on his job, saying: "I enjoy the work I do and it will continue."

Sir Alex informed United's chief executive David Gill before the 90-minute operation. The procedure is routine in Britain, with more than 1.5 millionpeople having pacemakers fitted.

They are battery-powered devices which electrically stimulate the heart to contract and keep blood pumping round the body. The size of a pager, the devices have one or two long, thin wires which travel through a vein in the chest to the heart. They are usuallyfitted to patients whose heart's electrical system is not working, and can be programmed to analyse heartbeats and decide what amount of stimulation is needed.

Sir Alex is one of the most successful managers in British football but today's scare is another example of the huge pressures involved.