Sir Alex Ferguson reacts to new Frank Lampard, Coventry City feat | OneFootball

The Coventry City boss was named the LMA Manager of the Year in Tuesday's awards

Frank Lampard's successful 2025/26 campaign was emphasised on Monday night, as he won the League Managers Association's Manager of the Year award.

Lampard led Coventry City to the Premier League for the first time since the 2000/01 campaign, and his Sky Blues side were utterly dominant throughout it all.

Barring a week in early February when Middlesbrough usurped them atop the league momentarily, Coventry sat top of the second tier from the October international break all the way through to the end of the season in May, in the end, finishing 11 points ahead of second-placed Ipswich Town.

The award, named after legendary former Aberdeen and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, has seen the likes of Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Arsène Wenger, and Jürgen Klopp all named victors, so Lampard joined an illustrious group of managers following his win.

Sir Alex Ferguson delivers a message to Frank Lampard following LMA's Manager of the Year award

Unfortunately, Ferguson was unable to be present to deliver the award to Lampard on Tuesday night, with the Scotsman still recovering after requiring medical attention ahead of Manchester United's win over Liverpool earlier this month.

Therefore, England manager Thomas Tuchel presented the Coventry boss with his award and read out a letter that Ferguson had written ahead of the presentation.

"It is, of course, not the same without Sir Alex himself, and we wish him all the best and a speedy recovery so that he is hopefully with us next year on stage again. Until then, I have the privilege to read this letter to you, Frank," Tuchel said, per Coventry Live.

"Dear Frank, many congratulations on being named LMA Manager of the Year. You should be very proud of what you and your team have accomplished.

"Your personality as a manager and a leader is so clearly defined in how your team has played great football this season — with confidence and self-belief, and I have enjoyed watching you.

"I know from speaking with you that you have great humility and that important quality of a curious mind for learning.

"I'm sure winning this award will mean a great deal to you, Frank, and I wish you the best of luck in the Premier League next season."

Lampard beat out the likes of Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery, Pep Guardiola, Andoni Iraola and Keith Andrews for the award, who have all had successful years themselves in the Premier League.

Therefore, to collect the award over some of his peers, and to have the endorsement of someone who is highly regarded as the greatest manager in the history of football, is a brilliant achievement for the Championship-winning boss.

Frank Lampard will be eager to put himself in Manager of the Year contention next season as Coventry City embark on the Premier League

Lampard has already proven a lot of doubters wrong throughout his time at Coventry thus far, and he'll be hoping to do the same by taking a club that has been out of the top flight for 25 years and ensuring their return doesn't last a single season.

The 47-year-old's last managerial foray into the Premier League ended rather embarrassingly as Chelsea's caretaker boss, winning just one and losing eight of his 11 games in charge.

Before then, he didn't have the best record at Everton, losing twice as many games as he won over his near year-long stint.

But, it's clear to see from how Lampard's Coventry team have improved under his leadership that he's easily a better manager than he was three or four years ago, and it'll be intriguing to see how they perform in the Premier League with him at the helm.

It's been a thoroughly successful 2025/26 campaign for both the Sky Blues and their manager, and his LMA Manager of the Year award was very much deserved. Now, the focus shifts to next season and their bid to remain a top-flight club for the foreseeable future.