Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel paid tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson at his statue unveiling on Friday.

The Dane was one of the VIP guests at the Theatre of Dreams on Friday and was quick to pay tribute to his former boss for transforming the fortunes of the club after taking over in 1986.

"It is a special club," he told Red View, the official club newsletter. "I'm happy for Sir Alex. One thing he said out there is normally when you get a statue like that, you're dead but he gets to see these people turning up for the unveiling.

"He deserves that. He touched on so many lives - the people who work in the club every day, his staff, his players but, beyond all that, all the supporters of Manchester United and football in general.

"He has had an influence on their lives over many years and should be credited for a lot of what has happened in the Premier League with it now being the best league in the world. He saw that very early on, when he first arrived at the club, and started a process that was designed to have an effect many years later. When the whole culture of football had to change, he saw that and changed that."