What next for Sir Alex Ferguson?
Ferguson gets his hands on a second Champions League trophy
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Thursday, 22, May 2008 04:38
With his Manchester United team having lifted the Champions League trophy, one would have forgiven Sir Alex Ferguson for taking the time to be a little smug.
Nothing of the sort.
No sooner had he jumped for joy on the Moscow pitch - reminiscent of your granddad after his numbers came in at the bingo - than he was back in the press area to talk up his plans for next season.
Despite lifting the much-coveted European Cup for the second time in a decade - and becoming only the third British manager to win it more than once, alongside greats like Bob Paisley and Brian Clough - Ferguson's focus still remains as sharp and bright as ever.
Many would choose the current climate to say farewell to football management, especially being into the traditional retirement window at 66 years of age and having enjoyed more than two decades at one club.
Ferguson is also now guaranteed a place alongside Bobby Charlton, George Best and Matt Busby as some of the most revered individuals in the history of this great club.
However, Ferguson believes his legacy can continue to grow. His current team is already prompting questions from the press over whether it is the best he has ever produced.
And without question it has the potential to be the best - perhaps in the history of the club.
This could well be what is keeping Ferguson interested. With his current crop of players, the 2008 Champions League and Premier League double could merely be a precursor to another Treble ten years on from what still remains as his greatest season in management.
Rangers almost pulled off a quadruple this season, so what odds on United doing the same in the coming years - only on the bigger stages of the English league and the Champions League, rather than the Scottish league and the Uefa Cup?
This season, United have shown they have the class of a genuine footballing powerhouse in the ilk of the Ajax team of the early 1970s, the Bayern Munich team of the mid-1970s, or (dare I say it, Reds fans) the Liverpool team of the early 1980s.
The players that Old Trafford boasts now also have resilience and experience, despite many being relatively young.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 23, shows no signs of stopping after back-to-back player of the year seasons and a goals haul that would have made old Sir Bobby blush. Wayne Rooney, 22, has had a bit of an off year, but that fact should be even scarier for United's rivals given that the Red Devils have had such a great season.
Carlos Tevez continues to grow into his role on such a big stage, but Ferguson has already compared him to Eric Cantona - and he was certainly no slouch on the football pitch, even if his acting and his philosophy was circumspect.
The bottom line is that Manchester United are a great team with a great core group of players. They have style and substance in equal measure. They have financial backing, despite many fans' doubts over the Glazers' regime when they arrived. And finally, they still have room for improvement.
No wonder Fergie has decided to hang around. The future's bright; the future's Red.
Alistair Potter