Former Manchester United coach to address European Ryder Cup team

As if a boisterous home crowd weren’t enough, the Europeans will turn to an unlikely source for motivation before the upcoming Ryder Cup.

On Tuesday, Captain Paul McGinley confirmed that he has asked legendary soccer coach Alex Ferguson to address the team.

“This is about fun,” McGinley said. “The areas that I’ll be talking to the players about, him relating it to football and getting some football stories.”

Ferguson retired last year after coaching Manchester United to dozens of major trophies over more than two decades.

McGinley had tried to keep his keynote speaker a secret. He acknowledged that “I’m not a Man-United fan, as everyone knows. I’m a West Ham fan. But I’ve always loved the way his teams played.”

Ryder Cup play begins Friday and runs through the weekend.