Fergie: My experience was vital

SIR Alex Ferguson believes his experience was crucial in keeping Wayne Rooney at Manchester United.

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.

Ferguson said: “I don’t think Manchester United could ever go down the road of having a young manager, to be honest with you.

“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.

“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.”