Sir Alex Ferguson
Cape Town — Manchester United’s most successful manager Sir Alex Ferguson has defended the squad which David Moyes inherited in 2013. The 73-year-old Scottish manager, writing in his new book Leading, defended the quality of his last squad, saying criticism of Manchester United’s players made it sound like “I had left 11 corpses on the steps of a funeral”.
Ferguson’s last season in charge was a successful one where his side romped to the league title, ending the season 11 points clear of Manchester City.
That title would be Ferguson’s 13th league win and the club’s 20th league crown.
Ferguson also echoed recent comments from current manager Louis van Gaal by backing Ryan Giggs, United’s current assistant manager, to enjoy a successful managerial career.
“Ryan Giggs is eventually going to be a great manager,” Ferguson writes.
“He has intelligence, presence and knowledge.”
Meanwhile, Sir Alex considered a move for wayward Italy striker Mario Balotelli in 2010, only to be dissuaded by his contacts in Italy.
“In 2010, I briefly flirted with the idea of signing Mario Balotelli, the talented but controversial Italian striker,” Ferguson wrote in his new book Leading.
“I did my homework on him, speaking to a few Italian contacts, but the feedback I got confirmed it was too big a risk.”
Balotelli subsequently joined Manchester City from Inter Milan, returning to Italy for a second spell at AC Milan this year following a disappointing season with Liverpool. — Reuters.