Albion manager Tony Mowbray will notch up a significant milestone at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Baggies boss admits the second anniversary of his appointment at The Hawthorns will coincide with his most significant head to head yet.

Having locked horns already with Arsene Wenger and Martin O’Neill this season, Mowbray is preparing to pit his wits against the man he rates as the yardstick for every manager on the planet.

He said: “Sir Alex Ferguson is the benchmark for all managers, not just in this country but worldwide. We’ve all got our own philosophies and beliefs but Sir Alex has built a football club.

“It had a fantastic history before he arrived but he took over at a low-ish point for them. He’s built it into what it is now over 22 years.

“I don’t know off the top of my head how many trophies he’s won but the number of teams he’s built is probably more pertinent.

“To have the longevity you have to have to manage change – he has had to do extremely well through the generations of players.

“Most managers don’t get the opportunity or chance these days. It was four years before he won his first trophy but maybe he’s a shining example of where you should be patient with your managers, to get a club moving in the right direction.”

Mowbray insists there will be no time for admiration when he finds himself in the opposite dugout to Ferguson this Saturday teatime.

He said: “I can eulogise about him all day but I don’t consider Saturday as anything other than a chance to prepare a team to give a good account of ourselves at Old Trafford.

“I’m pretty sure he won’t be overly concerned about us coming to town but we’ve got to go there and make life as difficult as we can for them, which we will do.”