Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that girls, drugs and alcohol are huge distractions for young footballers.

The Red Devils boss has revealed that the former Premier League champions have tried to tackle these 'problems' with their youngsters throughout the years.

"Girlfriends will come into their lives of course, drink can be a problem, and the dangers of drugs," The Sun quotes Ferguson as saying.

"All these things that young people from 16 to 19 have to experience. Handling money is not easy for young people either and you sometimes see them drive up in a flash car and immediately we do something about that."

Meanwhile, Ferguson is preparing to lead his team into the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid this evening.