Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United's players were inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson's halftime team talk during their Club World Cup triumph over Quito.

Ferdinand revealed last night: "The manager's team talk before the game hit the nail on the head.

"I won't go into what he said but he hit a lot of things on the head that were needed for us to get into gear.

"That is the sign of a great manager.

"The manager went into certain points that you saw had a good effect on us at the end of the game.

"One of the things said was the fact if we didn't win it it would have a big affect on our season. A very negative affect.

"There are always times when there have been significant moments from the manager; not just team talks but at different parts of the season either on the training field or in the changing room. Sometimes you need to be told the basics and reminded about what got us to where we have been last year and the year before.

"Great players need reminding and we have a few of them in our squad. Young players and senior players need reminding too. It is unbelievable to win this. A lot has been said about the tournament.

"It hasn't been well received in England but you saw our reaction when we won it and how we feel about winning it. I am elated."