Lindegaard pays tribute to Ferguson

Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard hailed boss Sir Alex Ferguson after the club renamed Old Trafford’s North Stand in honour of the Scot.

Ferguson celebrated 25 years in the hot seat at Old Trafford this weekend, and the club allowed the 69-year-old to enjoy the milestone with a win thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Sunderland.

The Dane made his second appearance in the Premier League in the match, and the 27-year-old said Ferguson’s achievements make him the biggest manager in football history.

“It says it all. One of the biggest stands in the world is called Sir Alex Ferguson. I would be thrilled if I could have just one seat out there called Anders Lindegaard’s seat,” Lindegaard said.

“He has created this club almost from the bottom and he’s the biggest manager in football history. We deserved to win and to reward the manager on his 25th anniversary with a clean sheet and a win is very good.”

The Denmark international said Ferguson’s advice helped him keep Sunderland at bay.

“Some of the wisest words I’ve learned since I came here came from the manager, and that’s ‘play the game, not the occasion’,” he said.

“We’ve tended to slow down our pace when we’ve played opponents in a lower gear than ourselves. We have to do that better.”

“I think we played very well defensively, we didn’t let Sunderland have any chances almost the whole game. It’s maybe the best we’ve played defensively all season, but there’s still room for improvement.”

The defensive partnership of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand made a rare appearance on Saturday, and Lindegaard believes their experience made his job easier.

“Obviously the two of them know each other very well and they complement each other very well. The two of them played absolutely amazingly. It was very enjoyable to be goalkeeper behind them.”