Rafa Benitez Reveals Help From Unlikely Ally Sir Alex Ferguson in Early Stages of His Career

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson helped him out in the early days of his managerial career.

The two established a notorious rivalry while at Liverpool and Manchester United, with Benitez's now infamous 'facts' rant in the 2009 Premier League title race a highlight of their public spat.

However, the Spaniard has now spoken of Ferguson's invaluable assistance back in 2000, when he was between jobs having left CF Extremadura.

"I came here to England to see Alex Ferguson for one week when Steve McClaren was his assistant," Benitez said, quoted by Manchester Evening News. 

"I went to see Tony Pulis at Stoke as well, he is my friend. He [Ferguson] had a different way of working compared to Tony.

"But it was a really good experience for me, I was very open minded to learn. It is good to be like that, especially when you come to England and you play in the European cup competitions [with a foreign team]. 

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"They play in a different style, you have to understand what they do and how they do it.

"Sometimes you are the better team, but they have a way of playing and they do it really well - I had to learn."

Benitez, who spent a year working as a commentator and learning from coaches in England and Italy, went on to take charge of Tenerife, before moving to Valencia where he won La Liga title twice, before moving to Liverpool in the summer of 2004.