Messi will only get better: Alex Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Barcelona's forward Lionel Messi will only go on to become a better player than what he is right now.

Ferguson believes most of the football players reach their peak at around 25, and Messi is just 24, which gives him more scope to improve, and lift his game to another level.

"Players develop and start to ­mature when they reach 25 or so. We've seen that with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and ­others. But Messi has not even reached that age yet. It's frightening what's going to happen - he's only 24!" The Mirror quoted Ferguson, as saying.

Messi recently became Barcelona's highest ever goal scorer, and has already won a number of laurels with the Catalan club.