Derek McInnes admits one of the best pieces of advice he’s received was from legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
And the Kilmarnock boss has revealed he made a conscious effort to implement it when first taking on the manager’s job at Rugby Park.
The ex-Manchester United gaffer is arguably Scotland’s greatest ever footballing product and became an icon of the game at Old Trafford after unprecedented success with Aberdeen.
He would go on to win an unbelievable 13 Premier League trophies and two Champions League titles among many other honours across an illustrious career.
So generally, when Sir Alex Ferguson speaks, everybody perks up and listens.
Speaking on the SPFL’s latest episode of The Warm-Up, McInnes was asked what his best piece of advice was from a legend of the game, whether it be from his old Rangers manager Walter Smith, former Scotland boss Craig Brown or of course, Sir Alex.
And McInnes, who joined Killie in early 2022 after Tommy Wright was sacked, explained it was all about how he prepared for a game the day before instead of leaving things to the last minute.
- READ MORE: Kilmarnock dealt horror Stuart Findlay injury blow as Derek McInnes confirms lengthy absence
McInnes on Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice to him
McInnes said: “I like recently what Sir Alex said to us about you (the manager) having to be the best player on a Saturday. So try and pick your team and settle on it on a Friday.
“And I’ve tried to be that since coming into Kilmarnock, to be honest. Sometimes you would wake up on a Saturday morning and decide because you would go with your gut, your hunch and then sleeping on a decision.
“But I actually feel now that getting a good night’s sleep before a game, I feel the benefit of that.”
McInnes on Scotland boss ambition
McInnes went on to discuss how he would like to follow in Sir Alex’s footsteps and become manager of the Scotland national team one day.
But don’t fret Kilmarnock fans, the 53-year-old confirms he still has plenty of work to do at Kilmarnock before thinking seriously about his next career step.
Asked about his ambition to become Scotland boss as Sir Alex did back in 1985 when he took over following the tragic death of Jock Stein, McInnes replied: “Genuinely it is something I would want to do.
“If I stopped doing this job and I haven’t managed Scotland, it would be a regret.”