RUUD NOT ANGRY

The key to Sir Alex Ferguson keeping control at Manchester United? Keeping his distance. As the manager revealed that experience has taught him to delegate, the remove between Manchester and Madrid is evidently great enough for Ruud van Nistelrooy to be able to reflect with nostalgia on his stressful last months at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy said that he twice turned down the chance to join Real Madrid during his career with United. The striker moved for £10.2 million during the summer and after saying he felt “betrayed” by Ferguson's decision to leave him out of the side for last season's Carling Cup final against Wigan Athletic, he no longer bears any enmity towards his former manager, despite the apparent acrimony as their relationship seemed to disintegrate.

“United was a fantastic time in my life, not only the football but we met some wonderful people,” the forward said. “I turned down the opportunity twice to come here during my United days but this time I could not say no. The history of the club is similar to United. You play at Old Trafford for the first time wearing a United shirt and it is unbelievable. Now I have the same feeling with Madrid.”

Van Nistelrooy also said last month his omission from the 4-0 win over Wigan was “like a stab in the back” but time has healed that wound. “I owe him a lot and respect him a lot,” Van Nistelrooy said of Ferguson. “What happened wasn't so big to not talk to him. I said my thing and we just have to move on. Many great players have left United and other clubs. You move to another stage in your career but the memories remain from five fantastic years.”

Reflecting on his 32-year management career, Ferguson decried the creeping menace of player power. “More and more, we are dealing with player power,” the 64-year-old told a Uefa magazine, The Technician. “There is a player ego today that you have to deal with. As a coach, the one thing you must have is control. You can't afford players to take charge of a training session. There has to be a strong discipline in the training and in general.”

“As you get older, you learn to delegate better,” he said. “You can't do everything yourself at a major club. For example, with the youth programme, I put it in good hands, and oversee what is happening — it's not possible for me to immerse myself in the youth work as I once did.

“As I progressed as a coach, I learned that observation was vital. To coach and watch at the same time is difficult. If you are involved too much in the coaching, you miss many things. I started to delegate more things to my assistant and to stand back sometimes.”