In 1999 Sir Alex Ferguson completed a coveted football treble winning the Premiership title, the FA Cup and the Champions League with Steve McClaren by his side. As Sir Alex prepares to celebrate 20 years at the helm of Manchester United, England manager and LMA President Steve McClaren shared some thoughts with Sue McCann.

20 years managing any club is an achievement but 20 years managing Manchester United really is an amazing accomplishment isn’t it?

“Yes it’s unbelievable…. twenty years at the biggest club in Europe. It’s any manager’s dream to build one team and be successful but he has built four or five and along that way has been successful with every one of them and that just proves what a great manager he is.”

He has a phenomenal aura about him in the same way that Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Jock Stein, Sir Matt Busby all had; how did you feel when you were actually approached by him to become his assistant manager?

“Obviously it was a huge surprise because at the time Brian Kidd had left and a lot of big names were talked about and I thought it would naturally go to an ex-player because they’d been there so long, someone who he knew. I think it was a surprise to everybody when I was chosen, but that just shows the mark of the man really that he’s not afraid to go outside of Manchester United, not afraid to look outside at other ideas and other people.”

How much of an education was it for you as a coach being with him that treble winning season; he won the Premiership, then had to win two cup finals and he never lost his focus?

“I think that is one thing he’s got and will never lose that tremendous focus. I do remember at the end of that season, we’d won the three trophies and the next day we were having a cup of tea at The Cliff (training ground) and he’s talking about the next season and what needed doing for that. I just thought ‘my God, you know that’s how he’s been so successful’. He achieves one thing and then as they say, moves onto the next mountain and the next mountain’s higher and that’s what he does. For me personally it was a break through, it was the barrier to get through. I was coaching in the Premiership with Derby County yes, but to actually be at one of the top clubs in the world and to work with top players in Europe and the world was a fantastic opportunity and a great challenge. I think challenge is the word and something which Alex has always said and always preached; it’s the challenge of Manchester United that is so great and everybody has to rise to that.”

There’s not many people better than Alex at nurturing young players, from Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, Butt, Nevilles etc through to the current crop of Fletcher, Rooney, Ronaldo…Why is he so good at getting the very best out of young players?

“When you look at anything you are looking at a legacy and leaving a legacy and if you are doing that and you want the club to be successful for years to come then it’s built on youth and you have to develop your own players. He’s done that on quite a few fronts. I know when I was there, that crop of young players coming through could never be repeated but what they’ve done is they’ve become the experienced players. What we had was a great youth but a great blend of experience with that youth. The experienced were characters that taught the kids the principles, the values and how to play the game, how to be at Manchester United and what it takes to play for Manchester United. I think that is the key, that you’ve got great experienced players there who’ve passed on their education and what they’ve learnt and their experience to the younger players coming through. So it’s a seamless transition really from one team to the next.”