Fergie praised by departing Queiroz

Carlos Queiroz was keen to pay tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United after becoming the second key member of Old Trafford staff to leave for Real Madrid this month.

Queiroz was unveiled as Real’s new coach yesterday evening after United had allowed him to leave his post as Ferguson’s assistant to become Vicente del Bosque’s replacement at the Bernabeu.

The Mozambique-born 50-year-old, who has signed a two-year deal with Real, said: “He (Ferguson) is a man of magnitude which is beyond comparison.

“After speaking to him, he is a real football person, more than that, he is football.

“He has some human qualities which are unknown. He has all of my respect and I have a lot of admiration for Manchester United. They are a great club.

“Without a man like Sir Alex I wouldn’t have learnt as much.”

Queiroz also insisted he had no fears about stepping into the limelight.

He continued: “I’m not scared of following people like Ferguson and del Bosque. They are great managers and have given me the desire to serve football.”

The departure of Queiroz means Ferguson is under pressure to deliver some good news this summer – and the arrival of Ronaldinho would do just that.

Queiroz joining David Beckham at Real adds even more importance to the club’s efforts to bring in the Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho, whose future will be decided by a series of meetings with officials from his club Paris St Germain.

The player’s agent Roberto Assis confirmed: “We will be speaking to PSG a lot over the next few days.

“They want him to stay but there are many things to discuss and it is too early to say what will happen.”

And, although Assis confirmed Ronaldinho would be “honoured” to sign for Manchester United, it is thought the man who scuppered England’s World Cup hopes might just prefer a move to Spain, with the uncomfortable prospect that he too could end up at Real.

As for a replacement for Queiroz, former Red Devils midfielder Mike Phelan, already a valued member of Ferguson’s coaching team, is set to step into the void.

However, with Brian McClair and Francisco Filho enjoying success on the youth front, Ferguson is likely to look outside the club for a permanent replacement.

It will not be a rushed decision though and, given his search for both McClaren and Queiroz took months rather than days or weeks, it appears unlikely there will be a new face in the dug-out when United begin the defence of their title against Bolton on August 16.