ALEX FERGUSON reckons the Wayne Rooney contract saga proved Manchester United will need an old head to succeed him as boss.
The 68-year-old Scot pulled out all the stops to persuade Rooney to stay at Old Trafford.
And he explained: "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.
"At United, you can never be surprised. There is always something happening in the club and always issues to deal with."
He added: "You can't deny we got a lot of publicity we didn't enjoy but we dealt with it very well.
"It's big enough dealing with winning matches without the publicity attached that doesn't always put football in a good light.
"We try to be a good part of the game but for a few days last week, there was unfortunate information.
"You have to have someone strong who can deal with all these issues."
