When people look back in years to come, how will they describe Sir Alex Ferguson?

“I would hope he’d be described as the best manager of his generation, I think it is as simple as that. You have to remember that he had success in Scotland with Aberdeen prior to the 20 years with Manchester United. There are very few football managers who manage to stay at a club for 20 years, sometimes board and chairmen do that but not many managers do it. That’s testimony to how he’s handles the job, to stay 20 years at any club is a big thing but to stay 20 years at a club like Manchester United where the demands are absolutely enormous is a fantastic achievement.”

Sir Alex has many talents as a manager, but what would you single out as perhaps his biggest strength?

“I don’t think he has just one biggest strength, I think to go through 20 years at one club as a manager you need quite a few great strengths(laughs). But I think the thing is his single mindedness, he knows what he wants and has the determination to go and get it. He’s single minded in that approach and won’t let anything sway him from what he thinks is the right way to go.”

Manchester United’s gain has perhaps been European Clubs loss; if he’d gone to Europe and managed a big club do you think he’s have had a similar impact as he’s had at Manchester United?

“I don’t think there’s any doubt, regardless of what club he was with, he’d have been successful at it. Even before becoming the manager of Aberdeen, maybe a lot of people don’t know he had success at St Mirren. He was extremely successful at Aberdeen breaking the Old Firms dominance, then came down to England where the demands, especially at Manchester United, are different and he handled that as well. So I don’t think moving to a club in Europe would have prevented any greater problems for him and I’ve got no doubt he’d have been successful wherever he’d have gone. I know having worked for Manchester United for 3 months with Alex in 2004 that none of that would have entered into his mind, he loves Manchester United and he enjoys managing there. I don’t think if any of these other clubs albeit Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Milan who would maybe have courted him at the time would have had any joy in trying to drag him away from Manchester United under any circumstances.”