Sir Alex Ferguson loves Pep Guardiola’s football after watching Manchester City beat Manchester United at Old Trafford
Fergie was seen shaking his head at one point during the Manchester derby as he watched from the directors' box
SIR ALEX FERGUSON was wowed by the silky-smooth one-touch football on show at Old Trafford.
Unfortunately all the style in a dazzling opening 40 minutes on Saturday came from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Legendary United boss Fergie — watching the game from the directors’ box as usual — was one of the first to congratulate Guardiola.
The Scot was waiting in the lounge as the new Etihad chief made his way to do his post-match press duties following victory over arch-rival Jose Mourinho.
Ferguson greeted Guardiola warmly and the pair chatted in the corridor for a few minutes before City’s Spanish coach had to continue his media interviews.
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The managerial legends know each other well having come face-to-face in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals.
They also famously met in New York in 2012, when Guardiola was having a sabbatical following his Nou Camp departure.
The restaurant chosen by the Scot had a strict dress code and Guardiola arrived without a jacket — so had to borrow one from a waiter.
The theory was that Fergie was desperately trying to persuade him to follow in his footsteps at United — although Guardiola denied this a few weeks ago.
At the time he had already given his word to Bayern Munich — but there are many who suspect he would have been Fergie’s top choice to take over.