Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique sheds light on his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, who he spent four formative years with at Manchester United.

Gerard Pique says the difficult decision to leave Manchester United for his native Barcelona in 2008 was made even harder because of his attachment to his “second father” Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Spain international defender quit Old Trafford as he started to make the breakthrough but has since gone on to lift the game's major honours with club and country within two years of his departure.

Speaking to Graham Hunter exclusively for STV Sports Centre, the highly-regarded 23-year-old – who got his hands on the World Cup trophy this summer a season on from winning the Champions League – says the influence of the Scottish manager on his early career went a long way towards his achievements.

Spending four seasons in Manchester from the age of 17, Pique revealed Sir Alex immediately took him under his wing upon his arrival from Barcelona's youth system. Then, faced with the difficult task of telling his manager he wanted to return to Spain, he recalls the emotional response from a character better known for his ruthless nature.

“When I arrived there I was 17 and it was really hard for me to leave my family here, to change club, to change all my friends,” said Pique. “For me, Sir Alex Ferguson was like a second father.

“He helped in all the ways, not only in football terms but also how to find a house and all my relations out of football. I think that, for me, he was a really helpful person. For me, Alex Ferguson will always be a second father.

“I remember when I went to his room to say that I wanted to leave because Barcelona was coming for me. It was my town, it was my club when I was young and I wanted to come back. He didn't want me to leave and said I had a future at the club and he expected a lot from me.

“But I wanted to leave and he wrote me a letter saying that it was really difficult and really hard for him to let me go to Barcelona.”

Pique's years at Manchester United saw him train every day with Paul Scholes, a player who he regards as one of the finest midfielders in the game. There is only one player who is on a level par with the evergreen star though according to Pique, his current club and international team-mate Xavi, who holds a mutual respect for his English counterpart.

“I think they are two of the best players I have ever seen,” Pique said. “With the ball they are fantastic. I remember one day I was talking with Xavi and he said, for him, Paul Scholes was one of the best players he had ever seen.

“I think the two like each other because they like the same football and it's really beautiful.”