Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised “fantastic” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for sticking with the methods he believes in despite criticism.
Ferguson, now a UEFA coaching ambassador, and Wenger had a fierce rivalry during the Scot’s spell in charge at Old Trafford, but the Scot said he had a deep respect for the Frenchman.
Gunners manager Wenger was the target of protests from sections of the club’s support last season as his side failed to sustain a challenge for the Premier League title and finished 10 points behind surprise champions Leicester.
But he has steered the North London club to Champions League qualification for 20 successive campaigns.
And Ferguson was quoted as saying in the Champions League 2016 final programme: “He has been fantastic.
“He gets a lot of criticism, but I admire that you’re not going to bend to the will of the critics. He stays with what he believes in, and I think people who do that are outstanding coaches.
“When you talk about consistency, Arsene’s never changed the way that his side has played.
“I think he inherited a team when he first came to Arsenal with Steve Bould and Martin Keown and Tony Adams, who were fantastic warriors.
“But his team evolved when they started getting players like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Emmanuel Petit and Sylvain Wiltord. They became a magnificent team.”
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