The Scotsman remaining at Old Trafford in an ambassador role would only pile more pressure on an incoming manager.
Replacing Sir Alex Ferguson will not be an easy task.
There are several big names, including Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, all linked with one day taking on one of the biggest jobs in football.
But Sir Alex has even tipped former and current players Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ryan Giggs to be among the contenders.
When will he retire? It won’t be this summer that’s for sure, but the man himself has said it will be within the next five years.
The fact he has today been speaking about becoming an ambassador at Old Trafford shows he is thinking about life after retirement.
But whoever comes in will find the expectation highly difficult to manage.
United will want the next manager to follow Sir Alex in spending several years in charge, and will not want a Chelsea predicament where managers are sacked after just one slightly below-par season.
However the demands to maintain the levels of success Ferguson has attained will be intense. The club’s finances under the Glazers mean failure to miss out on the Champions League for even just one season would be a disaster.
So the next manager, whoever he may be, must be given room to be his own man, to do the job required.
Sir Alex breathing down his neck from a director’s box will only make the job harder.
It will of course be almost impossible for Ferguson to stay away. Can you imagine him sitting at home watching United on Sky Sports?
But if he makes the decision to retire, he may have to consider what is best for the next man in post.
Conversely, if it is Ryan Giggs who was given the next manager’s job- a man with no other management experience, perhaps he would like Ferguson guiding him along the way.
Would supporters be happy with Giggs as the next manager? The idea may seem fine, but Old Trafford would not be an advisable place to cut your teeth as a manager, it is a finishing school, not a training school.
Who do you think should be the next United boss, should Sir Alex stay behind the scenes as an ambassador?
image: © tomjoad
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