Sir Alex Ferguson reveals 'disease' he kept from Manchester United to achieve great success

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Great players and a budget to buy them. An incredible fan base around the world. A touch of good fortune. A moment or three of "Fergie time".

These things all contributed to Sir Alex Ferguson's incredible 27 years and 38 major trophies at Manchester United, along with his own prodigious leadership.

But it was something the great manager didn't allow into his dressing room that was the key to his success, including 13 Premier League titles, leading to his 2013 retirement - complacency.

"The important part of being a successful team is to avoid complacency. It is a disease that has to be guarded against," Ferguson told the World Business Forum in Milan, as reported by The Sun.

"If we were winning at half-time, that was brought up — avoid it, it is a disease. If you lose a goal, you lose the game — keep your foot on the pedal."

The 74-year-old, whose sporting interests go beyond just football, cited examples in tennis (Serena Williams' comeback at the US Open when Victoria Azarenka had the tournament all but won) and golf (his inspirational words to the Ryder Cup-winning team at Medina) to illustrate the evils of complacency.

"With complacency, you do not see it happening, you do not see where it is coming from. But, when it hits you, you ­cannot get out of it, you can’t eradicate it," he said.

"So that was an important part of how we constructed a winning mentality at Manchester United, to avoid complacency."