AVB advised: Follow Fergie example

Under-fire Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas should learn from Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson's handling of his senior players, according to former Blues assistant boss Ray Wilkins.

Villas-Boas opted to leave England internationals Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole out of his side for Tuesday night's 3-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli. Wilkins, who was dismissed from his role as Carlo Ancelotti's right-hand man in November 2010, hopes Blues owner Roman Abramovich will give Villas-Boas time to succeed.

But Wilkins thinks Ferguson's management of established stars while bringing through younger players is an example Villas-Boas should follow, and he told Sky Sports News: "You see how well Sir Alex Ferguson manages the likes of (Paul) Scholes and (Ryan) Giggs and (Rio) Ferdinand, he manages them magnificently well."

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2012, All Rights Reserved.