“Everything he does is for a reaction” – Rio Ferdinand offers honest opinion about ‘animal’ Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Sri Alex Ferguson after the legendary Manchester United manager was announced as a new inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

The Scotsman has been added to the Hall of Fame this year along with Arsenal's legendary manager Arsene Wenger. The two managers shared a fierce rivalry on the pitch for over a decade.

Speaking to Manchester United's official website, Ferdinand claimed Sir Alex Ferguson was an 'animal' as his appetite for the game never went down with age. He said:

"Every move he made was calculated. I don't think there would have been many interviews in crunch times of a season that he went into where he hasn't had a thought process going into it. Whether it be the team have been terrible or the referee's made a small decision that maybe impacted the game a little bit, everything he does is for a reaction and that's part of his greatness. He played that game better than anyone."

Ferdinand added that the manager used to be the first to arrive ahead of training and was the last to leave on most days. He said:

"He was an animal. When you look back at his age, how long he'd been at the club - his appetite for the game, his appetite for rebuilding a team, it was crazy. Even in the last year of his time at Man United, he's coming in earlier than everyone else. Nine times out of 10, you walk out to the car and he's still there. You look up at his office, he's either swinging around in his chair with one of the papers or on his phone, putting a bet on the horses at Cheltenham or something if that's the time of the year."

Sir Alex Ferguson still involved at Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United as their manager in 1986 and managed the club until 2013. He won the Premier League title a record 13 times and added two UEFA Champions League titles.

Despite retiring 10 years ago, the Scotsman is still involved at Manchester United. The club have him on their payroll in an advisory role.