Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he will quit Manchester United in the next three years.
The United manager, who guided his side to their 10th Premier League title and second Champions League title under his tenure earlier this month, has not set a date for his Old Trafford departure after reneging on his original plan to retire six years ago.
But in the wake of United's European success in Moscow last week, the 66-year-old has admitted that he is approaching the end of his glittering managerial career.
"I won't be managing here any more than three years at the very, very most," he said. "Without question. I can assure you of that."
Ferguson is already one of the most successful managers in the history of the English game, having won 20 major trophies in his time at Old Trafford. But he is already beginning to ponder life after football, saying: "You have to think about time for yourself. I think my wife deserves a bit of my time, too. The older you get, the more you feel guilty about it.
"My wife, Cathy, was the one who talked me out of retiring last time but she wouldn't do that now."
But Ferguson, who has been United's manager for more than 20 years, insists he will not step down immediately. "I know I would find it hard to give up managing United," he said. "I can't do it, not at the moment anyway."
Manchester United chief executive David Gill added today that Ferguson's assistant Carlos Queiroz is 'well-placed' to succeed the Scot when he does decide to step down.
"We are making sure our squad is continually reviewed and improved as necessary and the age of the squad is right so that, when Alex does decide to retire, anyone taking over has a fantastic squad with the right age profile," Gill told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme. "We also have an assistant manager who will be very much in the frame in Carlos Queiroz.
"He's clearly a key part of our success. If you look at what Liverpool achieved in their very successful years during the '70s and '80s [that] was through internal appointments. Carlos is a key factor in all the success we've achieved over the last couple of seasons."
One man who will be disappointed to hear of Ferguson's intention to continue as manager is the Real Madrid president, Ramon Calderon, who today rejected the Scot's claims that the Spanish champions were using underhand tactics to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu.
Calderon insisted Real have conducted themselves ''exquisitely'' throughout the affair. He told Spanish newspaper Marca: ''I am really surprised to hear what he [Ferguson] said about us. I don't understand Ferguson. We have always said that [Ronaldo] is a player who has a contract and that Manchester United is a club that does not sell. That's everything.''
