Paul Ince and Beckham hail Sir Alex Ferguson – 'He treated me like a son

The former Red Devils stars praised the veteran manager after he announced his impending retirement, with the Blackpool boss certain that "he got the best out of me as a player".

Former Manchester United favorites Paul Ince and David Beckham have lauded outgoing manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who announced his imminent retirement on Wednesday.

The 71-year-old confirmed his decision on Wednesday morning, bringing to an end 26 years of astonishing success at Old Trafford.

"I remember the first day that I went to Manchester United," Ince recalled to Sky Sports after the announcement. "I failed my medical and I thought my move was going to collapse. The way he treated me was like a son and I'll never forget that moment.

"To play under such a man, he was so demanding. His standards were so high. Yeah, we had our ups and downs – he had a lot of ups and downs with most of the players in that 1992-93 season – but as far as just total respect, the man was immense. He got the best out of me as a player, that's for sure.

"When I was at Blackburn [as a manager] and things weren't going well, we played Manchester United at Old Trafford and I spent 15 or 20 minutes in his office. He said to me: 'The only advice I can give you is don't let players take the mickey out of you. Don't give them anything because, if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. The higher you go, you've got to be really stern in that message'."

Speaking before the revelation of Ferguson's retirement, former charge Beckham hailed the Scot as perhaps having made a greater difference to his side than any other coach.

The Paris Saint-Germain star opined: "The impact that he has with the team, the players and the fans ... I don't think there's anyone around in football that has had that impact, ever."

Sir Alex Ferguson to retire as Manchester United manager

The Premier League champion has confirmed the most successful manager in the history of British football is to stand down at the end of current season.

Manchester United has confirmed that Sir Alex Ferguson will step down as the club’s manager at the end of the season after 26 years in charge at Old Trafford.

The 71-year-old is the most successful manager in the history of English football, having won 38 trophies - including 13 Premier League titles - since taking over from Ron Atkinson in November 1986.

Ferguson will say his goodbyes to the Old Trafford crowd after Sunday’s home clash against Swansea before taking on a role as an ambassador on the United board of directors.

In a statement on United’s official website, Ferguson said: “The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time.

“It was important to me to leave an organization in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so. The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth setup will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one.

“Our training facilities are amongst the finest in global sport and our home Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as one of the leading venues in the world.

“Going forward, I am delighted to take on the roles of both Director and Ambassador for the club. With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future.

“I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential. My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.

“As for my players and staff, past and present, I would like to thank them all for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution the history of this great club would not be as rich.

“In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team.

“Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability and I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with a talented and trustworthy Chief Executive in David Gill. I am truly grateful to all of them.

“To the fans, thank you. The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an honor and an enormous privilege to have had the opportunity to lead your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United.”

Ferguson scheduled a meeting to break the news to staff at the club’s Carrington training ground and will then hold an interview with United’s in-house television station, MUTV.

Everton manager David Moyes has been installed as the bookmakers’ favorite to succeed the Scot while Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is also among the favorites to take over at Old Trafford.

The announcement of Ferguson’s decision to retire came after intense speculation following a golf match between United players and coaches at Dunham Massey on Tuesday.

Ferguson has long been planning for his succession and has consistently cited his health as the decisive factor in the timing of his retirement. He had a pacemaker fitted in 2004 and United confirmed last week that he would undergo hip surgery in August.

David Gill’s decision to stand down as chief executive this summer saw Ferguson lose a close ally within the club and there had been suggestions that he came close to quitting at the end of last season after losing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City.

Ferguson previously expressed his regret over announcing his retirement before the end of the 2001-02, which he felt led to poor on-pitch performances and resulted in him coming back after he had a change of heart.

Balotelli faces fine for celebration

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has confirmed the club will punish the Italian for removing his shirt after scoring the winning goal against Torino on Sunday

Mario Balotelli will be fined for his celebration after scoring the winner in this weekend's 1-0 win over Torino, AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has confirmed.

The Rossoneri appeared to be on the verge of dropping two vital points in the Champions League race until Balotelli's late winner, before the striker celebrated the invaluable goal by removing his shirt. 

Galliani expressed his delight at the 22-year-old's run of nine goals in 10 Serie A matches, but indicated he will be fined a nondisclosed amount for his antics.

"As long as he scores more goals than the shirts he takes off then that is OK... But taking your shirt off is not acceptable and he will notice that it isn't acceptable on his handsome payslip at the end of the month," Galliani told reporters.

"We are very happy with Mario, though. He is a Milan supporter and that helps, it gives him something extra. He told me that in 1999 he was going around Brescia with a Milan flag in celebration of [Alberto] Zaccheroni's Scudetto."

Balotelli's solitary strike on Sunday moved Milan four points clear of Fiorentina with just three games to go in the battle for third place.

Mourinho: Pepe has a problem

The under-fire coach has hit back at the Portugal international following the latter's recent comments and has explained his decision to field Diego Lopez ahead of Iker Casillas.

Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at Pepe in the wake of the defender's comments on theReal Madrid coach's treatment of Iker Casillas.

The center back claimed his coach should show Casillas more respect after los Blancos hard-fought 4-3 win over Valladolid at the weekend, but Mourinho has issued a riposte by suggesting that Pepe is simply trying to distract attention from is own struggle to secure first-team football.

"Pepe's comments? It is very easy to analyze what he says. Pepe has a problem and his name is Raphael Varane," the Madrid coach stated at a press conference.

"A 31-year-old has lost his place to a 19-year-old. It’s the law of life. But who had the courage to field Varane? I did."

Mourinho then went on to explain his decision to drop Casillas in favor of Diego Lopez, stressing that it has nothing to do with any personal animosity between the pair.

"I like Diego Lopez more than Iker Casillas as a goalkeeper. This is not a personal decision, there is nothing bad between Iker and me," he continued.

"I like shot-stoppers who play well with their feet and who come off their line to collect crosses. Iker makes great saves between the posts, but I prefer a different type of goalkeeper."

Madrid is currently preparing for Wednesday's Liga match at home against Malaga.

Liverpool captain Gerrard to undergo shoulder surgery

The 32-year-old is set to go under the knife to cure an ongoing medical issue and will miss the last two games of the season as well as England's end-of-term matches.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will undergo surgery on a lingering shoulder injury and miss the club's final two games of the season, the Premier League team has confirmed.

The England midfielder's problems have deepened over the last couple of weeks, with surgical intervention now required to ensure that he is ready for 2013-14.

Manager Brendan Rodgers had denied in late April that any such plans were in place, despite first-team coach Mike Marsh voicing his opinion that it would be necessary.

Gerrard will play no part in the club's last two matches of the campaign, and will miss England's summer friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Brazil, but the club expects to have him fit for the beginning of preseason.

The Reds skipper has made 44 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 10 goals and notching 11 assists

Benitez defends David Luiz laugh after Rafael red card

The Brazilian had been criticized after seemingly exaggerating the impact of the challenge from his countryman, but the Chelsea boss feels that the real issues are being ignored.

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez has defended David Luiz following his controversial involvement in Sunday's clash with Manchester United.

Red Devils fullback Rafael was sent off for a kick on his fellow Brazilian and the Blues man was caught on camera seemingly laughing while on the floor, apparently in pain from the challenge.

Benitez insists that his player's smiles were due to abuse from fans rather than any nefarious intent, insisting that more important issues were being overlooked to discuss his facial expressions and praising the defender.

"I'm aware that David Luiz is one of the best players in the Premier League, by miles," he told reporters. "Miles away of a lot of players, so he is one of the best, without doubt. I think that, talking about [Rafael's sending off], we are not talking about Chelsea beating United, doing much better than United in three games.

"David Luiz was laughing because the fans were abusing him and after was the red card, so it was very clear, the timing, but we continue talking about this instead of trying to eradicate the bad tackles that you can see every week. I think we are giving importance to something that is not as important as the other things."

Mourinho tells Iniesta: No Messi, no glory

The Blancos coach has hit back at the Spaniard's comments about Iker Casillas by suggesting the Catalan club is vulnerable without the Argentina international.

Jose Mourinho believes Barcelona's humbling Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich is evidence of the club being a diminished force without Lionel Messi.

The Real Madrid coach hit back at comments made by Andres Iniesta, in which the Spain international said he was surprised by Mourinho's treatment of Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

"[Iniesta] can think what he likes, but I would say to him that without Messi his team is so different and that is why they did what they did in the semifinals of the Champions League," the 50-year-old told reporters.

The former Chelsea and Inter boss then took responsibility for his team's failure to meet its objectives this term.

"We want to finish the league in second place - but second place is not enough," said the two-time Champions League-winning coach. "I haven’t been strong enough or persuasive enough as a coach to reach our objectives."

Mourinho was keen to add that his career at Madrid may not definitely be over, however, despite strong speculation linking him with a summer exit.

"If I think, and the boys think, that I can go on giving something more, I will continue [at the club]," he added.