Sir Alex Looks To The Future

Sir Alex Ferguson looked to the future of United – on the pitch and in the stands – as he travelled through Manchester on the club’s championship parade.

The boss was in positive mood as thousands of fans turned out in the teeming run to cheer the open top bus on its way from Deansgate to Stretford via Old Trafford. All along the way, there were reminders of the Reds’ record-breaking league title – not least the trophy being held aloft by the players and coaches and the no. 19 bus itself.

“This is what Manchester United is all about, it shows fantastic loyalty from the fans. The weather is horrible but the fans are here. Well done to them all,” said Sir Alex on MUTV.

“What really is impressive is the number of children who are here. There are a lot of fathers here with kids who are as young as one or two years of age sitting on their shoulders. That’s the future of Manchester United, young people.”

With Saturday’s Champions League final defeat still fresh in everyone’s minds, Sir Alex spoke of the “wonderful challenge” he now faces as the Reds bid to match Barcelona on the European stage.

“People have to understand the mechanics of the industry we’re working in,” said Sir Alex.

“We are only allowed to coach youngsters for an hour and a half, they [Barcelona] can coach every hour of the day if they want to. That’s the great advantage they’ve got and they have a fantastic philosophy.

“We hope that in years to come our coaches will be able to spend more time with young kids, to teach them the basics, the technical abilities and the confidence to keep the ball all the time.

"We’re good at it but we’re not as good as Barcelona at this moment in time. It’s a wonderful challenge. We should always accept a challenge.”