Sir Alex Ferguson has jumped to the defence of under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and says the Gunners should be careful what they wish for.
Wenger, 66, is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to clarify his future with supporters.
Many have turned against the Frenchman in the last few months and the Gunners failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in Wenger’s reign this season.
Wenger replaced Ferguson as the longest-serving manager in the league after the Scot’s retirement in 2013 and the former United boss says he admires Wenger for how he’s dealt with his situation at the Emirates.
‘At the moment, of course, with the ridiculous situation of the pressure Arsene is under, I just wonder if they realise the job he’s done,’ Ferguson told SkySports.
‘The most amazing thing about him is this: he has come through a forest of criticism for months now, and has never bowed. He has seen it right through, he has shown a determination, a stubbornness. I think when you look at that, it’s a quality, and I’m not sure they’ll get another manager like that.
‘It’s quite easy to say ‘Get rid of him’, but who do you get? Who do you get in to keep that club the way they are for the next 20 years? I really feel sorry for him because I think he’s shown outstanding qualities, and I think he has handled the whole situation. I don’t know many that have done that.
‘Has long-termism vanished? I hope not, because I think the stability that a manager like Arsene Wenger has brought to Arsenal, and Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, myself at United…there’s no evidence that sacking a manager brings success.’
COMMENTS