Rio Ferdinand has hailed Manchester United's legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and detailed what made the 80-year-old so great.
The Scot led United to two Champions League triumphs as well as firing them to domestic dominance. Ferguson also masterminded his side's treble win in 1999.
Prior to Manchester City's Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, BT Sport pundits discussed whether either Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti could be considered the greatest manager of all time. However, Ferdinand wasn't having any of it as he heaped praise on his former manager.
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He said: "Sometimes you can look into tactics and dig too deep into tactics. Great managers, their greatness comes from allowing freedom for players, especially in attacking areas, to be themselves and express themselves.
"That's where Sir Alex Ferguson was great. (His thinking was) 'I've bought you for a reason, that you make the right decisions at the right times in a red shirt'."
Ferguson was in charge of the sides that saw the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo flourish. United haven't been able to replicate their exploits in Europe since the legendary tactician called time on his career on the touchline.
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