at the start of the 2005–06 season, manager alex mcleish re-appointed ferguson as club captain. mcleish had not wanted to remove the captaincy mid-season from fernando ricksen. ferguson played the latter part of the season carrying an ankle injury as rangers ended up in a third-place finish in the premier league. at the end of the season, ferguson revealed that he had snapped ligaments and confessed that he should have undergone the surgery sooner.