Sir Alex Ferguson has first-hand experience of managing Carlos Tevez, with the Manchester United manager regularly leaving the Argentine on the bench during his time at Old Trafford, something which was thought to be a reason why the striker wanted to leave.

He must have watched Tuesday night’s events in Munich unfold with a wry smile, as Tevez refused to enter the field of play against Bayern, although Sir Alex Ferguson thinks that City counterpart Roberto Mancini has handled the matter well.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match against Norwich City, the Manchester United manager said: “I think that Roberto Mancini has come out and shown his strength of character, his strength of management and I think that is important.

“We have all experienced our own difficulties in management and you cope with it as best as you can. In my own experience strong management is important and there is nobody more important than the manager at a football club.”

Many players have lost out in the battle of wills with Ferguson over the years, most notably David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy, all of whom were moved on after clashing with the manager.