Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that he, Arsene Wenger and Brian Clough prove that clubs should back their managers.

Ferguson spent 26 years in charge of Manchester United, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns and a host of other trophies at Old Trafford.

Clough was manager of Nottingham Forest for 18 years from 1975 to 1993, while Wenger has been Arsenal boss since 1996, and Ferguson has said that giving managers time pays off in the long term.

"There's no evidence that sacking a manager gives you success," the Scot told ESPN.

"But there is evidence at Manchester United, at Nottingham Forest, at Arsenal that [if] you retain the manager for long periods, you get consistency and you get success."

Ferguson managed United from 1986 to 2013.