Sir Alex Ferguson praises structure of 'great club' Bayern Munich as Manchester United continue search for director of football

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the footballing structure at Bayern Munich in what could be interpreted as a call to the powers that be at Manchester United to get their own house in order.  

It’s widely accepted that United are at a crossroads with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer facing a huge task to rebuild a large and unbalanced squad which limped home in sixth place in the Premier League.

But while the Norwegian has a busy summer ahead, he is not helped by the fact that there is still no Director of Football in place at Old Trafford.

That contrasts with Bayern, where managers come and go, but former players, Karl-Heinz Rumenigge and Uli Hoeness continue to pull the strings, and ensure the club remains the one to beat in the Bundesliga.

Ferguson was speaking ahead of United’s Legends match with Bayern yesterday which United won 5-0, held to mark 20 years since they famously won the European Cup in Barcelona.

“Bayern is a club run in the proper foundation of it,” Ferguson told MUTV. “Former players run it really, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“They run the club in the right way and they are always winning the league in Germany. They’re a great club.”

Meanwhile United legend Jaap Stam has called on his old club to do whatever it takes to sign Ajax centre-half Matthijs de Ligt from under Barcelona’s noses.

Stam showed glimpses of what United have been missing with a peerless defensive display even at the age of 46, but he knows that 19-year-old de Ligt is the future.

“De Ligt is a great player,” said Stam. “He’s only a youngster, but in how he plays, he’s an adult.

“He’s the type of player that a manager wants to play with and he is a player that absolutely fits in here.”