Rory McIlroy in a "trance" while listening to Sir Alex Ferguson speech

Four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy has admitted that he 'couldn't take his eyes off' former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson while he gave the Europe Ryder Cup team a motivational speech yesterday.

The retired football boss visited the golfers last night ahead of Friday's opening day against Team USA at Gleneagles in Scotland.

When asked about Ferguson's speech this morning, McIlroy told reporters: "For me, being a Manchester United fan, [it] was the highlight of the week so far. I was sitting there, looking up at him and I didn't take my eyes off him. I was in this trance listening to everything that he was saying.

"I was thinking that this is probably all the sort of stuff he's said to Manchester United teams over the years. He told us a couple of stories, just of past experiences of some big games and big matches and some of the players that he managed. It was a great evening, a really cool thing to be a part of."

McIlroy, who won back-to-back Majors this year at the British Open and US PGA Championship, has been paired with fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell for this morning's practice round.