Fergie backs McClaren

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson has backed his former number 2 Steve McClaren to bounce back following his sacking as the England boss. The former Middlesbrough boss is out of work after receiving his £2.5m 'golden handshake.'

"Of course he'll bounce back," said Ferguson. "He's not the only person that's been sacked. He's young enough to come back." Meanwhile, Ferguson has criticised the Football Association for their hasty decision to axe McClaren with England not scheduled to play again until next year.

The veteran United boss also questioned the state of the Wembley pitch on which England lost their vital qualifier 3-2 to Croatia on Wednesday evening.

"I can't understand why they made the decision at 8.30 the next morning. They don't have a match until February," he added. "I just think they should have waited a little bit.

"The first thing I thought about when I was watching on Wednesday was the pitch.

"They spend £800million on a stadium and you see the pitch and think, Christ give the boys a chance.

"It's not fair on the manager, the players or the fans. I just thought then that it would be a difficult night."