Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to the victims of the Munich air disaster on the 60th anniversary of the tragic event.

On February 6, 1958, eight of Matt Busby's Manchester United squad and three club staff members were among 23 passengers to lose their lives.

Former Red Devils manager Ferguson attended a commemorative service at Old Trafford on Tuesday to remember the victims.

"Matt never spoke to me about Munich, but he spoke about Duncan Edwards, David Pegg, Eddie Colman and all the boys who passed away," Ferguson is quoted by the official United site as saying.

"The one who did speak a lot about it was Jimmy Murphy. Jimmy did a bit of scouting for me and he always spoke very openly about the Babes. He always had a tear in his eye by the end of the discussion because he was a very emotional guy.

"While I was Manchester United manager, the Babes were always a reference point for us, in terms of having belief and trust in what young players can do and building a loyalty base from there.

"Not only that, the Babes made the history of Manchester United, without question. Okay, there had been the 1948 FA Cup and some success in the distant past, but actually the history which was made through that particular period of Matt playing those young players is really the history of Manchester United.

"The Babes are what gives this club such a fantastic romance, in terms of how they played the game and how they generated this thread of youth throughout the club. The spirit of the club is created by all these young players, and that began back then."

A number of United supporters made the journey to Munich on the anniversary of the air disaster to lay plaques and sing 'Flowers of Manchester' on the site of the tragedy in tribute to those who passed away.