Sir Alex Ferguson hails Louis van Gaal for having the pedigree to make Manchester United successful again, as he tips Jamie Carragher for future in management

  • Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal
  • Former boss loves his successor's press conferences and past pedigree
  • Van Gaal has won league titles in Holland, Spain and Germany in the past
  • Ferguson says Dutch boss will need time to rebuild his own team
  • He also tipped Sportsmail's Jamie Carragher as a future top manager 
  • This week's Fantasy Football bonus transfer code is ramsey12 

By Oliver Todd for MailOnline

Published: 01:35 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 07:04 EST, 22 September 2015

Sir Alex Ferguson has called for patience in Louis van Gaal's bid to bring silverware back to Manchester United, but says he is already a great admirer of his successor's style at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal is just 14 months into a rebuilding job after Ferguson's 26 years at the United helm, but the Dutch boss' confidence and experience have already struck a chord with his predecessor.

United's legendary former manager says he loves Van Gaal's press conferences and thinks his title-winning experience in Holland, Spain and Germany give him the edge every United boss needed.

Sir Alex Ferguson (above) has spoken of his admiration for Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager

Sir Alex Ferguson (above) has spoken of his admiration for Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager

Van Gaal is 14 months into his spell at Old Trafford as he looks to rebuild after Ferguson's 26 years as boss

Van Gaal is 14 months into his spell at Old Trafford as he looks to rebuild after Ferguson's 26 years as boss

Ferguson says that Van Gaal's experience in winning titles across Europe makes him a good boss for United

Ferguson says that Van Gaal's experience in winning titles across Europe makes him a good boss for United

In his new book, 'Leading', Ferguson admits that he considered Van Gaal as an immediate successor when he retired in 2013, and he now seems more than happy with the eventual top man at Old Trafford after David Moyes' problematic spell.

'Louis' got the great background, Bayern Munich, Barcelona,' Ferguson said on Tuesday morning. 'He's got the pedigree, no doubt about that.'

Van Gaal's press briefings as United boss have seen him sing his own name, row with reporters and even walk out on questioning - something Ferguson admires from his own time as boss.

'I love his press conferences, they are brilliant,' the 73-year-old told Sky Sports News. 'I can see some of the press guys twitching in their seats as he answers some of the questions. He's got the confidence to deal with that.

'I don't get to training sessions but I love watching the team. He's got experience, he knows how to handle these things, it's going to get time, everyone's different, taking over from myself it's going to take time to get his team on the pitch.'

The legendary United manager also said he found his successor's behaviour in press conferences 'brilliant'

The legendary United manager also said he found his successor's behaviour in press conferences 'brilliant'

Ferguson is launching his new book 'Leading' and has been speaking on a variety of topics recently

Ferguson is launching his new book 'Leading' and has been speaking on a variety of topics recently

Ferguson, who has overseen many of his former players moving into management down the years, also had a tip for a rival that he believes has the ability to go on to become a top boss.

The 13-time title-winning Scot picked out Tony Adams, Jamie Carragher and Gianfranco Zola as three of his former opponents that he most admired, while reserving special praise for the Liverpool man now working as a Sportsmail columnist and Sky Sports pundit.

Another man Ferguson clearly admires is former Liverpool defender, Sportsmail's Jamie Carragher (centre)

Another man Ferguson clearly admires is former Liverpool defender, Sportsmail's Jamie Carragher (centre)

While Carragher is impressing on television, Ferguson says he also has the material to become a top manager

While Carragher is impressing on television, Ferguson says he also has the material to become a top manager

'I think he’s got a career (Carragher),' Ferguson said of the 37-year-old's managerial potential. 'He’s in television, but I also think he will be a good manager, I really do, I think he’s got the material.

'As opponents, if you take Tony Adams and Jamie Carragher, you would say they weren't the most talented players, they weren't going to carve open defences, they weren't the quickest, but they had this inner desire and determination. They were always going to be winners.'

Comments (32)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now