Man Utd cult hero Kleberson on accidentally parking in Fergie spot & rise of MLS

Nearly two decades since Kleberson departed Old Trafford, the wisdom of Sir Alex Ferguson still sticks with him.

'I feel so glad to have had a coach like him. I learned a lot,' the former Manchester United and Brazil exclusively told Mail Sport.

'I think for me, the way he managed the team, it's unbelievable - because he had a lot of egos on the team. A lot of players with really hard personalities, really strong.'

Ferguson's lessons are perhaps now more relevant than ever to the 44-year-old, who is in his first year as an assistant coach with MLS' New York City FC.

The budding coach, who greeted this reporter with a warm smile at NYCFC's training facility, cuts a more genial figure than his former boss. But there are still things to take from the stern Scotsman.

'We didn't see any mad faces in the game or in training sessions, we were just all workers. And the way he did it impressed me… the culture he created around him, it was impossible for any players to break that.'

Kleberson is now part of a different culture at NYCFC, a club where he's part of a sizable South American contingent, and which is of course a sister outfit of his old rivals Manchester City, through City Football Group.

While he didn't quite become one of Ferguson's favorites, Kleberson still has the stories - and the clout - to show for his stint in England with his players.

'For me it's really powerful when I start a conversation with a guy, and [bring up] the name Ronaldo, Rivaldo, or Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes,' he said. 'What those guys did when they played, the guy's always like, "That's amazing."'

Kleberson - who began his career with Athletico Paranaense - achieved plenty himself, and his humility can easily obscure the fact that he made over 300