Stuart Pearce says aspiring coaches should look up to Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho

Stuart Pearce believes all aspiring managers and coaches should be looking at Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho for inspiration.

The England Under-21s boss will be at Old Trafford on Tuesday night when the pair go head to head in the Champions League.

And Pearce says he's looking forward to the round of 16 tie as Manchester United and Real Madrid go into the second-leg all-square after a 1-1 draw in Spain three weeks ago.

"They say the world's going to stop for tonight's game, so it's something to really look forward to," said Pearce, who spent Tuesday afternoon at St. George's Park coaching kids on The FA Tesco Skills programme.

"They're two fantastic clubs with outstanding managers and any up and coming coach should be looking at Sir Alex and Jose as role models."

Mourinho has previously drawn comparisons with Brian Clough, who signed Pearce for Nottingham Forest in 1985, but the former left-back believes that the Real Madrid boss stands alone.

"I can see why people think they're similar and in some way they are but Jose is very much his own man.

"He's got a fantastic track record, winning trophies both domestically and in Europe and you really have to respect his achievements in the game.

"Who knows where he'll end up next season but he really brightens up the game and it will be fascinating to see him going head to head with Sir Alex tonight."

Stuart Pearce's Under-21s side face two matches later this month, first against Romania at Wycombe on 21 March then against Austria at Brighton on 25 March. Tickets are available from just £5 for kids and £10 for adults, with group and charter standard discounts also on offer.