Manchester United legend Eric Cantona feels Sir Alex Ferguson will rise to the challenge set down by Manchester City.

United are struggling for form, while a rampant City thumped them 6-1 at Old Trafford last month.

But Cantona warned Ferguson is the master in these positions. He said: "Sir Alex is a very strong man with a lot of personality. He's one of the greatest managers in the world.

"I like the way he handles situations. Sometimes you have a bad adventure, you don't have a wonderful life every day.

"You might lose a few games in a row or a very important game, but he is able to handle it.

"And he looks at how he can use the situation to be even stronger the next day. He uses his experience to do so."