Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he admires the way Arsene Wenger has responded to recent criticism from supporters by sticking to his beliefs.

The Frenchman has come under increasing pressure from large sections of the Gunners' fanbase due to a failure to compete for silverware on a regular basis.

Arsenal fell short in the Premier League once more in 2015-16 when finishing behind shock winners Leicester City, with just two FA Cup successes added to the trophy cabinet in the last 11 years.

However, Ferguson - who clashed regularly with his opposite number in the early years of Wenger's Arsenal tenure - believes that the consistency of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League for 16 years running deserves praise.

"He has been fantastic," Ferguson told the matchday programme for the Champions League final. "Now he gets a lot of criticism, but I admire that you're not going to bend to the will of the critics. He stays with what he believes in. And I think people who do that are outstanding coaches.

"When you talk about consistency, Arsene's never changed the way that his side has played. I think he inherited a team when he first came to Arsenal with Steve Bould, Martin Keown and Tony Adams - fantastic warriors - but his team evolved when they started getting players like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Emmanuel Petit and Sylvain Wiltord.

"There was a change in the culture of the team. They became a magnificent team. Arsene has never changed in the type of player he wants or the sort of play he wants. It's always about penetration from runners off the ball, good passes into angles for the strikers."

Wenger apologised to Arsenal supporters last month following the latest wave of protests inside and outside the Emirates Stadium.