'Who is he?': Alex Ferguson recalls iconic rivalry with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Sir Alex Ferguson heaped praise on his fellow Hall of Fame inductee Arsene Wenger in an exclusive interview with Manchester United. The former Red Devils manager alongside the former Arsenal boss became the first-ever manager to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. Ferguson led United to 13 Premier League titles, a record which is yet to be touched.

Alex Ferguson hailed former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Both managers had a very competitive history between them during their peak having won 16 top-flight titles together. Both the managers shared some of the most iconic moments on the pitch and the Scottish shared some of the most minute details as he was surprised at Arsenal's decision to appoint him.

"I didn’t know him. He had been in Japan. It was a big decision for [Arsenal vice-chairman] David Dein. It was a good decision. He’d been a successful manager at Monaco and when you look at his track record, you’re not surprised he got the Arsenal job.

"But, to come from Japan threw me off anyway, because I’m saying: “Who is he?” But he transformed the club fantastically. Arsenal were a hard team to play against – they were the team that we had to beat. I always looked in the side-mirror to see who’s coming from behind us."

Having retired in 2013, Ferguson is enjoying his life in full and he can be seen regularly in attendance whenever Manchester United are playing a game. He went on to reveal more about his relationship with the French. "We have a terrific relationship. It's amazing because obviously we didn’t converse [while managing]. He had his job, I had my job. There's no doubt that we both wanted to win and both displayed that in the way our teams played the games against each other.

But over the years, through the UEFA meetings in Switzerland, Arsene and I go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well. I enjoy his company. He's a really interesting man. But it is still my job to pick the wine!"