Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is grateful to Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson for his support.

Pardew revealed he spent some time with Ferguson when he was out of work two years ago before he joined Southampton.

"Sir Alex is a big part of the League Managers Association and he's always got a word for younger managers, invites people to the training ground and looks after them," Pardew said.

"It's very good that we've got somebody at the top of the game who does that."