Sir Alex Backs Carrick's Coaching Plans

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Michael Carrick has the right attributes to excel at coaching when his exceptional playing career eventually comes to an end.

The former Manchester United boss will manage a team in Sunday's testimonial match for Carrick, who will be in Jose Mourinho's squad again next season after extending his contract last week.

Sir Alex has talked to the 35-year-old about earning the required UEFA coaching badges and his work behind the scenes at the Aon Training Complex with, for example, the club's Under-14 team.

"I know about that and I spoke to Michael about it," Sir Alex told MUTV. "I encouraged all the players to do that [to work with young players] and most have done it. It’s really important.

"A lot of players don’t do anything in the afternoon after training. They go home and sit in the house, watching television or whatever. But I think they should take a keen interest in the game."

Sir Alex briefly recalled his own transition from playing to management, revealing he planted the seeds at a young age.

"I was taking all my coaching badges when I was 23," he said. "I had just gone into full-time football and decided I wasn’t going back to part-time football. I wasn’t going to be an engineer again.

"I think players need to understand the game and, if they’re going to be a coach or a manager, understand the difference between that and being a player. As a player, if you’ve lost a game on Saturday, you go home and feel like all the rest of the players. You don’t understand the loneliness a coach or a manager has in terms of thinking: 'Why did the team lose? Why did we lose that game? What is the solution?'

"It’s what you have to start thinking about as a coach or manager and Michael will do that and have to understand all that, like all young managers do. I think he has the natural attributes to do the job."

For information about tickets for Sunday's match at Old Trafford, which will now kick off at 14:30 BST, visit www.manutd.com/carricktestimonial.