Michael is a proper human being, a proper man who you want to be successful. There’s no shit about him, he does what he does for the right reasons. I don’t like to compare myself to many people, but I can see myself in Michael and Michael in me. I’m not saying that I could pick a pass like he could, but the two of us are calm and reflective. He’s a winner, a massive winner, yet he stays in control of his emotions. He knows what he wants and doesn’t lose his rag. He’ll never be emotional and fight with the players. Chuba Akpom, his top scorer, said recently that Michael’s the manager he’s always dreamed of having and I can believe that.
As a player, you’d want to do well for Michael because he cares about you. He wants you to be the best you can be. If I was a player I’d want him as a manager because he wouldn’t be unreasonable. He knows what he wants. He demands respect and hard work, but he gives it back as well. He’s knowledgeable, he’s hard-working. When I was at United in 2018, I have to say that Michael and Kieran were usually in the office before me. They were meticulous, looking at every detail. Michael has had to change a little bit since becoming a manager. He was maybe too into the details as a coach, but as a manager you have to take a step back and manage people.
At United, I’d sometimes see Michael talk to the players. Some of these were ex-team-mates of his which isn’t easy, but he had an authority about him. I am 100 per cent sure that Michael will be the manager of Manchester United if he wants to be.
I love him as a person, but while he never said anything to me about it, the day I got booted, I went to see him and said: ‘I’m gone, they want you to take over.’ I told him that I wanted him to do it. After ten days, Michael came to me and said: ‘I don’t want to do this.’
We were in it together and we were no longer together. I took that as a compliment because I had the utmost respect for him. If you see the interview I did when I left the club, I got emotional when I started talking about Michael. That’s when I got really emotional. We don’t spend too many hours in our private lives together but it was pure respect for him.
Michael is a man of value and principles, a big family man, but his knowledge is also second to none. He’s had Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho as managers, and he’s played with the best players in the world. He’s a winner but he’s still in control of his emotions.
“I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager.”
