After the match, when he had not seen a replay, Ferguson admitted he was surprised at Styles' decision, a view which could only have been reinforced once he saw Jlloyd Samuel's perfectly fair tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now Styles has been in touch with the Trotters to say sorry, and Ferguson feels the referee has done exactly the right thing.

"Rob takes a lot of credit," said the United boss ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Aalborg.

"It helps in terms of him showing some humility towards the game. That is the most important thing.

"It is good he has done it. It presents him in a different light.

"It shows he has character and is big enough to do it."

Ferguson does however think United would have gone on to win the game anyway even if Cristiano Ronaldo had not paved the way for a 2-0 win by scoring from the spot.