The former Manchester United manager paid tribute to Keegan - who died at the age of 75 on Monday (20.07.26) following a battle with cancer - by reflecting on the outstanding spell he had as manager of the Magpies when the club narrowly missed out on winning the Premier League title in 1996.

Ferguson told Track Radio: "I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic.

"He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That's the job he did.

"And he also brought three great players to the club - [David] Ginola, [Faustino] Asprilla, Philippe Albert - and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.

"Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there's no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players.

"That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle - I think - their best ever team."

Ferguson's United team reeled in Keegan's Newcastle to win the Premier League title in the 1995/96 campaign, prompting the latter to give his iconic "I would love it if we beat them" rant as the legendary coach's mind games took their toll - but Ferguson revealed how the pair shared an enjoyable night out together at the end of the campaign despite the intense on-field rivalry.

He said of Keegan: "The great thing about him, he held no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night.

"All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that."