SIR ALEX FERGUSON has spoken of the "shock" he felt after learning Saints great Danny Wallace was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, the most successful manager in the history of English football admitted he could still vividly recall the moment he was told the news about his former player.

"I was at The Cliff, our old training ground, so it must have been about four or five years ago," he said.

"And I was told he had MS. I couldn't believe it - it was just like 'Oh no! Bloody hell!' It came as a real shock. He was such a fit and enthusiastic lad."

Wallace joined Manchester United from Saints in 1989 for a then club-record sale of £1.2m after nine years spent delighting The Dell.

Ferguson still fondly remembers Wallace's goal-scoring debut for United against Pompey at Fratton Park, as well as the key part he played in securing his first trophy at Old Trafford when Manchester United lifted the FA Cup in 1990.

"He was very, very influential for us. It was my first trophy for Manchester United and you always remember those ones," he said.

"He gave us width and speed, he could beat a player, he was a good deliverer of crosses and he could finish. He was a terrific player for me. A brilliant lad and always very popular."

Injuries not known at the time to be linked with MS eventually undermined Wallace's four-year spell with United.

But Ferguson clearly has no regrets about signing Wallace, believing he was one of the players who "freshened up" the club at an important time to help lay the foundations for 15 years of unprecedented success.