Dealing with Sir Alex Ferguson more difficult than Barack Obama, says Tim Howard

An old photo of Tim Howard being presented as a Manchester United player in 2003.

London, Dec 28 (IANS) English football club Everton's American goalkeeper Tim Howard has said that a verbal onslaught from former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is more daunting than a phone call from US President Barack Obama.

The 35-year-old became a hero in his country following his outstanding performance for the US at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The Everton goalie broke the tournament record for the number of saves made in a single game in their 1-2 extra-time loss to Belgium.

Obama called Howard and his teammate Clint Dempsey after the match to show his appreciation for their efforts.

"The call from the president is all setup. You get a knock on your door from the team administrator, you're downstairs in five minutes, and off you go," Howard was quoted as saying by the Mirror Online.

"You just try not to say anything stupid, because forever you'll be remembered as the guy who said something stupid to the president."

"But, put it this way, going into Sir Alex's dressing room is more daunting because you know that the president of the United States isn't going to yell at you. When Alex Ferguson yells at you, that's absolutely the worst thing in the world!," Howard added.

Howard, though, failed to make an impression at Manchester United under Ferguson and was sold to Everton for three million pounds in 2007.