Former Scotland boss Craig Brown says he could never follow Sir Alex Ferguson's lead and use a book to criticise his former players.

Extracts from retired Manchester United manager Ferguson's second autobiography were released on Tuesday and included a string of stinging rebukes aimed at some of football's biggest names.

Roy Keane was lampooned for his behaviour in his final months as a United player, while David Beckham's celebrity lifestyle was blamed for his Old Trafford exit.

But Brown, who was part of Ferguson's coaching staff during his short reign as Scotland boss at the 1986 World Cup, claimed he did not have it in him to savage his own troops in the same way.

The Aberdeen director, who had a bitter public fall-outs with former Rangers skipper Richard Gough when he refused to call him up for Euro 96, said: "I don't think Alex is a vindictive guy, he was just being honest. These are his opinions.

"I resisted that because I haven't got the profile of Alex. I could have earned quite a bit of money by criticising one or two players. I was offered money to write more criticising them but I didn't think it was worth it. I wanted to be able to look everyone in the eye.

"That's not being soft. Don't mistake kindness for softness. I tried to be diplomatic."

However, Brown insists that whatever Ferguson's reasons for expressing his forthright opinions on his former players in the book - titled Alex Ferguson - My Autobiography - were, money was not among them.

"I know Alex didn't do it for money, of that I am absolutely certain," said the ex-Clyde, Motherwell and Aberdeen manager.

"I haven't spoken to him about this book, but with his previous one he was critical of the current Scotland manager [Gordon Strachan] and Brian Kidd. I asked him why and he said it certainly wasn't to sell more books for the money, because he had a fortune up front before he had written a word.

"It didn't matter what he wrote, the book was already sold, and he told me that. It will be the same this time."

Keane responded to Ferguson's revelations by claiming the former Red Devils boss "didn't know the meaning" of loyalty, while Mark Bosnich, another one-time United player under the Scot, challenged him to repeat the accusation that he "was a terrible professional who ate excessively" face to face.

But Brown was adamant as he suggested the former Australian keeper would have known full well Ferguson's thoughts.

He said: "Alex is a diplomatic guy. But if he's asked about a player and to put it in his book, he will do it.

"I heard one player saying he wanted to talk to him face-to-face. I don't believe for one minute that Alex hasn't said to that player what he has said in his book.

"I'm quite sure anything that is in the book he has already said to the player. For a player to tell him to man up and say it to his face, well I'm quite sure he has already heard it in the dressing room."