Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Andre Villas-Boas faces a "challenge" at Tottenham Hotspur following his failure at Chelsea.

The Portuguese boss, who was sacked by the Blues after just nine months in charge, faces the Red Devils for the first time as Spurs manager tomorrow.

"He has a challenge," said Ferguson. "He wasn't at Chelsea very long, but he came to our ground early last season and his team tried to play football.

"That's his philosophy and I think he's carrying that out at Tottenham as well. He suits Spurs. They've always had a history of playing good football. I think he'll carry on that way."

Spurs have collected eight points out of a possible 15 in the Premier League so far.