Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand insists that Sir Alex Ferguson remains as committed as ever to driving the club towards future success.
After his aborted retirement plan in 2002, Ferguson stopped thinking of the end of his Old Trafford career in age-related terms and concluded instead he would stand down only if his health deteriorated or he stopped enjoying the job.
"The fire is still burning. You see it every day," Ferdinand told The Sun.
"You look at the detail he goes into in terms of pre-match talks, the videos with the staff, the research that they do, and you can't do all that without having the desire and hunger he's got.
"In fact he goes into more detail than he did when I joined nine years ago and has become a bit more meticulous. That's probably because the competition has got stronger over the years.
"He's embraced everything, like the scientific stuff and has brought that into the club. Everyone's had to move with the times and he's done that.
"He's mellowed because you've got different animals now, there's more foreign players. But if something needs to be said there's no half measures.
"After what he's achieved, he's got to command that respect when he walks into a room with what he's won and the way he carries himself.
"But he knows you can't be a schoolteacher all day long. He has a laugh and a joke with some of the players but when it's business time, it's business.
"He will come in and take the mick out of people and you can do it back but only slightly. There's a definite line between the manager and the players.
"It's not a line in the floor where you can actually see it but you know in your head where it is."
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| Rio Ferdinand and Sir Alex Ferguson celebrate after Manchester United won the Premier League Photo: AP |
After his aborted retirement plan in 2002, Ferguson stopped thinking of the end of his Old Trafford career in age-related terms and concluded instead he would stand down only if his health deteriorated or he stopped enjoying the job.
Now in his 25th year at United, and with more than 2,000 games as a manager behind him, Ferguson is still looking to add to the achievement of the club winning a record 19th league title.
"The fire is still burning. You see it every day," Ferdinand told The Sun.
"You look at the detail he goes into in terms of pre-match talks, the videos with the staff, the research that they do, and you can't do all that without having the desire and hunger he's got.
"In fact he goes into more detail than he did when I joined nine years ago and has become a bit more meticulous. That's probably because the competition has got stronger over the years.
"He's embraced everything, like the scientific stuff and has brought that into the club. Everyone's had to move with the times and he's done that.
"He's mellowed because you've got different animals now, there's more foreign players. But if something needs to be said there's no half measures.
"After what he's achieved, he's got to command that respect when he walks into a room with what he's won and the way he carries himself.
"But he knows you can't be a schoolteacher all day long. He has a laugh and a joke with some of the players but when it's business time, it's business.
"He will come in and take the mick out of people and you can do it back but only slightly. There's a definite line between the manager and the players.
"It's not a line in the floor where you can actually see it but you know in your head where it is."
Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
