SIR Alex Ferguson officially opened a new state-of-the-art scanning facility at Spire Manchester Hospital.

Patients at the hospital's satellite Hale clinic will also be eligible to benefit from the £1.4 million MRI scanner, which is the most technically advanced in the region’s hospitals

The new MAMRI (Magnetom Aera Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is the first wide tunnel scanner to be installed in a private hospital in Greater Manchester.

Sir Alex, who is a UNICEF ambassador, said: “I am very impressed with the leading facilities offered at Spire Manchester Hospital.

“As someone who has a lot of experience in getting sports professionals up to their personal best I respect Spire Manchester’s reputation as a centre of sports rehabilitation excellence.”

The new scanner uses magnets and radio waves to produce 2D and 3D images of inside the body to provide images of joints, muscles, organs and tumours which can diagnose neurological diseases, cancers, injuries and degenerative conditions.

It then produces higher resolution images allowing for easier diagnosis.

Chris Chadwick, director of Spire Manchester Hospital, said: “We are delighted to be offering this state of the art technology here at Spire Manchester and continually investing in our hospital.

"We want to give our patients access to the very best diagnostic equipment.

“Not only will patients now feel more at ease, but the wider bore allows those who may be larger to access Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Spire Manchester.

"This scanner helps our professional sports patients access the most suitable technology and opens up the same opportunity to all our patients.”

For more information about treatment at Spire Manchester Hospital, call 0161 232 2303.