London, Nov 19 Sir Alex Ferguson's first-ever signing cost him 100 pounds and he thought the player was overpriced.

Nowadays, Ferguson spends millions in a transfer market full of what he calls 'fragile' footballers who are protected by their agents.

Typically, these modern-day players expect huge rewards before they have earned them, The Sun quoted him, as saying.

Speaking at the League Managers Association 1000 Club dinner in London, the Manchester United boss narrated the tale of his time as a rookie manager at East Stirling in 1974 when he was scratching around for numbers just to make up a team.

Ferguson said: "We had only eight players before the season started, so I got George Adams for 100 pounds and we overpaid. He was on five pound a week and I tell him he is the worst signing I ever made.

"But a player is more fragile than players of 25 years ago. They are now more cocooned by agents or by the press they receive at times. They are less ready to hold their hands up and say they are at fault.If you go back 30 years, you had a player with a certain pride and responsibility for their own performance."

"They were less protected and would come in and say hands up, it was my fault. But, today, they are very protected and more fragile than ever - and that's a lot to do with the people who protect them like their agents and, to a degree, the Press," Ferguson said.

"Years ago, they didn't have that. Also, the whole way of negotiating signings has changed. If I wanted to buy a player back then I would just phone the other manager up. Those days are gone. It's all conducted by agents phoning up the chairman or chief executive," he said. (ANI)