West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis admits he tried signing Darren Fletcher for Crystal Palace.
The former Manchester United midfielder joined the Baggies last week.
"I asked Sir Alex about Darren when I was at Palace at the beginning of the season," Pulis said.
"We were very keen to get him to the football club, not just because of his football ability. If you go and watch training and the way he projects himself he is an absolute first-class lad.
"You talk of 'Father Figures' and look at what Sir Alex Ferguson has done. We took Ryan Shawcross from Manchester United when he was 18 or 19 and Sir Alex has to take a lot of credit for this.
"The way Ryan has conducted himself over the years has been fantastic and is shows again with Darren - there's that stamp there. They've been brought up the right way.
"Speak to people in the dressing room and he has only been here four or five days. He trains well, he looks after himself.
"Fletch will be good at the club. We need to give him time to settle in but he should be good for us."
