It is fair to say Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager in the history of the British game, knows a football brain when he sees one.

When Ferguson was busy upsetting the Old Firm applecart with an Aberdeen side featuring Alex McLeish, he could see his star pupil possessed the necessary ingredients to make the step into management.

The legendary Manchester United boss identified McLeish as the thinking man's footballer.

This knowledge and tactical shrewdness would serve McLeish well when he hung up his boots to embark on a managerial career that would see him take charge of Motherwell, Hibernian, Rangers and Birmingham City as well as the Scottish national team.

Now as Big Eck steps into the Villa Park hotseat, his old mentor has taken time out to reveal his faith that McLeish has the "essential ingredients" to succeed at his new club.

His pedigree is certainly there after a classy career to date.

His biggest challenge up until his new claret and blue role was when he was installed as Rangers boss in December 2001.

McLeish took the reins at Ibrox with a reputation as one of Scottish football's bright young managerial talents and with a brilliant playing career as the backdrop.

He won Scottish championships, lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup and played in three World Cups with Scotland, collecting 77 caps along the way.

But taking over from Dick Advocaat as Rangers manager was an altogether different kind of pressure.

One half of the famous Old Firm, Rangers are a Scottish institution with a huge domestic and worldwide support who demand success on an annual basis.

Added to this was the fact that McLeish was immediately faced with the task of over-turning arch-rivals Celtic's supremacy in Scotland under Martin O'Neill's guidance.

But McLeish had been no stranger to challenges during his career as a player and a manager.

Under Alex Ferguson, McLeish and central defensive partner Willie Miller were the rocks on which was built an immovable Dons force that broke the Old Firm stranglehold on domestic honours in the 1980s.

At the helm at Rangers he flourished and led them to both major Scottish cups in his first season.

This was surpassed the following term when he led Rangers to the treble.

In total he won seven major honours with the blue half of Glasgow and will always be considered a hero for the success he brought back to the club.

McLeish also spent one year in charge of the Scottish national team, overseeing a famous victory against France in Paris.

He presided over seven wins in a ten game tenure but the team's failure to make the Euro 2008 finals led him on a path to our arch-rivals Birmingham City.

With Blues languishing, his introduction to English football was too late to salvage the club and they were relegated despite improved performances and some eye-catching signings such as Mauro Zarate.

The following term McLeish helped Blues to the runner-ups spot in the Championship, resulting in promotion at the first attempt.

Birmingham then finished with a 50-year high of ninth place in the Barclays Premier League, having recorded a club-record 12-game top-flight unbeaten run.

Last season promised much more than it delivered for Blues, but despite a Carling Cup triumph against all odds, the club were relegated.

Despite this, Randy Lerner is confident McLeish can work wonders at Villa and so he should.

He is renowned for building good relationships with senior players and several stars from his past have talked about happy dressing rooms under his guidance.

Despite the high stakes he has always shown that he is willing to build for the future and has been unafraid to blood youngsters in big games.

McLeish also dispelled any fears that he would be unable to handle the pressure in the goldfish bowl of a big city with his success at Rangers.

His renowned dry wit and media-friendly image refused to buckle under the constant media glare that engulfed every movement at Ibrox.

The future indeed appears in safe hands under Alex McLeish.