"I think his contribution to football has been outstanding. I was asked about this last week, who's been the best footballer, and it's a matter of what era you were born in and what you watch.
"But in my way of thinking is he's certainly been in the best three footballers I've seen.
"As far as being a coach goes, the record speaks for itself. He's one of those blokes who's very easy to get along with, you can talk anything from football to politics to anything, and I've enjoyed his company and I hope to continue to enjoy his company.
"He's truly one of the great personalities and great footballers and great coaches, and I caught the end of a conversation of Andrew Demetriou saying he's up there with some of the best people ever in football.
"I totally agree."
