Sir Alex praises 'fantastic' Wenger

Three years and one month to the day that the two legendary managers last faced each other, former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the virtues of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

"He (Wenger) has been fantastic," Ferguson offered in the Champions League 2016 final programme.

Ferguson's kind words come on the heels of arguably the most difficult season in Wenger's 20-year tenure at Arsenal.

Realistic title ambitions were squashed by a dismal run of post-holiday form that saw the north London outfit fall behind both eventual winner Leicester City and rival Tottenham. Only the coupling of a win against Aston Villa and Spurs' loss at Newcastle added a silver lining on the last day of the season, with Arsenal vaulting Tottenham for second place.

That was little consolation for Gunners supporters imploring the club's brass to sack Wenger. Not so much for Ferguson, who praises Wenger's consistency in his approach.

"Now 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."

Considering the club hasn't won the league since 2003-04, a lot of Arsenal supporters have been asking 'what have you done for me lately?' of Wenger, but Ferguson is mindful of how the Frenchman transformed the club.

"There was a change in the culture of the team. They became a magnificent team. Arsene has never changed in the type of player he wants or the sort of play he wants."