Manchester United face a very difficult decision in 2002 as they attempt to find a replacement for the most successful manager in their history. Sir Alex Ferguson will retire after 16 years in charge at Old Trafford and his successor will face a difficult task in replacing him. The club have admitted that they may indeed appoint a foreign coach, as the FA chose to do with the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager, and that Ferguson will have considerable input into the decision. United's Chief Executive Peter Kenyon revealed that the club will be casting it's net far and wide to ensure that they get the right man to continue the success that Ferguson has achieved.
"We won't leave a stone unturned in search of the new man because this is about following the greatest manager in history," Kenyon said.
"Although the appointment of Eriksson was done in different circumstances than those we face, we won't restrict ourselves to certain candidates either. If we have to appoint from abroad then we will.
"Quite clearly we need the best manager to follow Alex - and that's why there can't be any boundaries. I don't think you can ever allow yourself to discriminate or be restricted in that search because it's not in anyone's interests to go in with pre-conceived ideas.
"We want the right chap, someone with a similar football philosophy to Alex and with a demonstrated track record at the top and I'm very optimistic we'll find him."
Ferguson is expected to remain at Old Trafford once his managerial contract expires and Kenyon appreciates that the Scot is probably in a better position than anyone to offer advice on what qualities his successor will require.
"Alex has been with us for 16 years and done the job better than anyone else," he declared.
"He's going to stay with us, albeit in a non-footballing management capacity, but you wouldn't ignore his input - you'd be crazy to do that.
“People have said following Alex is an unenviable job but I don't see it that way. The next guy in will face a different situation to the one Alex faced. He had three years of re-structuring the whole club behind the scenes before he got any success.
"It's very different now. We have some great players and it's not an ageing squad. We have our Academy and the facilities at our Carrington training complex."
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