Ferguson faces double battle

Alex Ferguson is facing a hectic week as he battles to push through the £11m (€15.9m) transfer of Ronaldinho and try to keep assistant Carlos Quieroz at Old Trafford.

Brazil’s early exit from the Confederations Cup will see United step up their attempts to land Ronaldinho, who was sent off for two bookable offences in a fractious 2-2 draw with Turkey last night.

While Real Madrid, Barcelona and Newcastle are all believed to have discussed a move for the 23-year-old striker, the Red Devils remain favourites to capture him from Paris St Germain after making initial contact with the player last month.

The pressure is now on Ronaldinho to state his preferred destination and if he makes his mind up quickly, United could push through a deal in the next few days as Ferguson starts rebuilding following the departure of England skipper David Beckham.

However, a bigger battle lies ahead as Quieroz considers his future after apparently being placed at the top of Real’s hit-list to replace coach Vincente del Bosque.

The former Portugal coach is seen as the man to heal any rifts in the Real camp which have emerged following Beckham’s arrival and the decision not to offer long-serving skipper Fernando Hierro a new contract.

Ferguson has already lost three assistant managers during his time at Old Trafford.

Archie Knox was the first to leave when he became number two to Walter Smith at Rangers and both Brian Kidd and Steve McClaren have left to pursue management dreams of their own.

And the departure of Quieroz would be a massive blow for the United chief, who appointed the coach only last summer after an intensive search.

Ferguson highlighted Quieroz’s influence as one of the major factors behind the Red Devils’ title triumph last term and, in this month’s Manchester United magazine, skipper Roy Keane left little doubt over the new man’s influence on the Old Trafford dressing room.

“Carlos came at a good time for us,” said the Corkman. “He had some time to settle in and for us to get used to his ideas and for him to get to know us.

“I think he deserves a lot of credit for the improvement of the team, especially for the defensive tightness we had.”

If Quieroz was to leave, Ferguson would have a ready-made replacement in former United midfielder Mike Phelan, who has made a positive impression in his role as number three, although the United boss will fight hard to persuade his current assistant to stay.

However, if Real do come calling, it might be difficult for Quieroz to turn down the offer of leading the most expensive side ever assembled.

“In the next few days I’ve got a very important decision to make,” he told The Mirror.

“I don’t like to talk about speculation but to coach Real Madrid would be an enormous challenge.”

And Quieroz might not be the only man leaving United if the comments of Juan Sebastian Veron prove to be accurate.

The £28.1m (€40.1m) Argentinian has struggled to make an impact in two seasons since his move from Lazio and the midfielder has now hinted that his short-term future lies back in Serie A.

“I think I will be playing in Serie A next season,” said Veron, who is believed to be attracting interest from Inter Milan and Italian champions Juventus.

“I am flattered that a few teams are looking at me. Big players are good in big teams.”