Wenger lifts lid on Ferguson and Manchester United rivalry

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken in-depth about his rivalry with Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, following years of competition between the pair.

Wenger and Ferguson spent decades toe-to-toe with each other in the Premier League, with the pair establishing themselves as two of the greatest-ever managers in the history of English football, and the Frenchman has spoken about his close friend.

"Our relationship has gone through different stages, with ups and downs. Today, we have a very peaceful relationship and that was not always the case," he told BeIN Sports.

"When there is a big rivalry, we had some heated moments and we had some big fights as well but when the war is over, the respect comes in again because we both did just fine for our clubs.

"He was very powerful in England, a massive influence and it was difficult to fight against him.

"Of course [we brought the best out of each other]. We learned as well to control our emotions, to mature and to always be in the desire to become better.

"He was a sensational manager but I give him credit as well as he always knew how to move forward, he was not a guy that stood still on his success and took decisions to move forward at the right moment, he was never scared to make changes when he felt it was needed. He was a very efficient guy but a very modern one because he did accept the evolution."

One stand-out moment from the pair's rivalry was a meeting in October 2004, where United ended Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run in controversial circumstances.

What followed has affectionately been dubbed the 'Battle of the Buffet' as Ferguson had pizza thrown at him by one Arsenal player, later confirmed to be Cesc Fabregas, and Wenger also spoke about that clash.

"I think the day would make a nice film for a guy who wants to make a nice movie. One day, certainly the truth will all come out about that but it was a special day because I think it was on the day where we were beaten and emotions were flying high.

"It was chaos in the dressing room and in the tunnel. It was certainly the peak point of the controversy we had with each other in that day."

Asked about the decline of United since Ferguson's retirement, Wenger explained his belief that it is difficult to rebuild what the club once had.

"The biggest period of the success of Manchester United was linked with an exceptional generation that came out of the club. Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt, Neville, this generation, it was life or death for Manchester United.

"When you lose this generation, to repeat that again with top-level players, you lose that cohesion, and you have to rebuild that, it's not easy and it takes some time."