Gill admits feeling 'hairdryer' heat

Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill, has admitted that he has been on the receiving end of Sir Alex Ferguson's hairdryer half a dozen times in his eight years as the club's chief executive.

"I wouldn't say I'm exempt from the hairdryer but I would say I can give as good as I get," said Gill. "There's been probably half a dozen of these hairdryer-type moments, give or take, over the last eight years as chief executive. The important thing is he never sulks, he never carries it on and we move on. That's a great thing about Alex, he can have an opinion and blow his top but it's forgotten like that and I think that's the true measure of the man.

"He's very supportive, very loyal and, at the same time, he's very black and white with firm opinions. Most successful people do have firm opinions and stick to them. The new manager needs to understand those values and the vision for the club and must buy into that. Alex, in particular, will want to make sure he inherits a great squad. That's our goal – to make sure when the new manager comes in he does have a great squad to work with in terms of age and profile."