HANDLING "fragile" footballers is the toughest part of being a football manager nowadays, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

The United manager has handled some of the game's hard men in his 23 years at Old Trafford, including Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce and Paul Ince.

He has also had famous run-ins with the likes of Andrei Kanchelskis and Jaap Stam - and even Ince and Keane found themselves ousted in the end.

But he claims dealing with today's pampered superstars is much more difficult.

"It's a different player character we've got today. The players are more fragile than players of 25 years ago,' said the Reds boss.

'They are more cocooned today by their agents or the press they receive at times.

"They are less likely to hold their hands up and say they're at fault for things. If you go back 30 years ago you had a player who had a certain pride and responsibility in their own performance.

"But today they are very protected. They are more fragile than ever. That's a lot to do with the type of people who protect them, agents."

You suspect there are no football agents on Ferguson's Christmas card list. The very mention of their profession provokes an involuntary grimace of contempt.

He illustrates with a recent story.

"We had a young boy get in the England Under-21s," said Ferguson. "His agent phoned up the next day and said, 'I think it's time we sat down for a new contract for the boy.'

"In his mind he thought that demanded a new contract. I said, 'Let's see how he plays for Manchester United.'

"But that's the way the world is now.

"When you think they (agents) are conducting most transfers now, it's not right."

Despite his disdain for agents, Ferguson claims to have a lot of sympathy for journalists, even though he is famous for his spiky approach to much of the media.

"The press today have a very difficult job," said the 67-year-old. "They are trying to compete against Sky television, against the internet. Some of them are in an impossible situation.

"They have editors who demand they have to have copy that sells the newspaper. They are under unbelievable pressure."