My experience was vital - Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson believes his experience was crucial in keeping Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and does not believe the club will ever go for a novice manager.

The Scot accepts the Rooney contract saga - which saw the player claiming he wanted to leave Old Trafford before making a dramatic U-turn and signing a new five-year contract - had cast football in a bad light. But he believes his vast experience at the helm proved vital in the negotiations and shows his successor should not be a young manager.

Speaking to New York satellite radio station Sirius, Ferguson said: "I don't think Manchester United could ever go down the road of having a young manager, to be honest with you."

He continued: "It's a job that needs a lot of experience at the top end of the game. We have the benefit of my 24 years at the club, so fortunately that's the way we could deal with it.

"At Manchester United, you can never be surprised. There is always something happening in the club and there are always issues to deal with.

"I don't think you can deny we got a lot of publicity that we didn't enjoy, but you have to deal with these situations and I think we dealt with it very well.

"I've got the benefit of having been at the club for such a long time I have experienced a lot of things.

"It's big enough dealing with winning matches without the publicity attached that doesn't always put football in a good light.

"We always try to always be a good part of the game, and all the right things about the game, but for a couple of days last week, there was unfortunate information.

"To be manager of our club, you have to have someone strong who can deal with all these issues."