Sir Alex Ferguson has received the backing of rival Premier League bosses Arsene Wenger and Carlo Ancelotti after being hit with another FA improper conduct charge.

This time, Ferguson is in trouble because he elected to praise Howard Webb ahead of last week's crunch encounter between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford.

In saying Webb was ‘‘the best referee for the job'', Ferguson contravened the Football Association's rule E3 and ignored a written warning sent to all clubs in October.

It means Ferguson is now facing more possible disciplinary misery, only three weeks after he returned to the dug-out after serving a five-match ban for his negative assessment of Martin Atkinson's performance during United's Premier League defeat at Chelsea on March 1.

Ferguson has until 4pm on Monday to respond, and for once he is receiving sympathy for the treatment he is receiving.

"I think he spoke positively about Howard Webb,'' said Ancelotti. I don't think he tried to put pressure on the referee before the game."

Ancelotti can count himself fortunate not to be charged himself given he expressed similar sentiments prior to the Old Trafford clash.

"I am surprised about this," agreed the Italian.

As Ancelotti has always enjoyed a cordial relationship with Ferguson and the pair made tentative plans to visit an Italian vineyard at some mutually convenient point in the future, maybe words of sorrow could have been expected from that quarter.

Wenger has generally been more frosty towards Ferguson.

Yet even here, after initially poking fun at the FA, the United manager received support.

"It was a shock to the FA," laughed Wenger. "They are not used for him to be complimentary.

"He is entitled to have that opinion. To me, it doesn't look to be a major problem to say that somebody is good. I would not charge him for that."