Fergie keen on Gerrard swoop to replace Keane

Alex Ferguson has admitted he would love to sign Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard as Roy Keane’s long-term replacement at Manchester united.

The Old Trafford boss admits it would be a “complicated” transfer but insists he would prefer to have Gerrard over Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira.

Ferguson told The Sunday Times: “If you were looking for the player you would replace Keane with, it’s Gerrard, without question. He has become the most influential player in England, bar none.

“Not that Vieira lacks anything, but I think that Gerrard does more for his team than Vieira does.

“To me, Gerrard is Keane; he is now where Keane was when Roy came to us in 1994. I’ve watched him quite a lot, and everywhere the ball is, he seems to be there.

“He’s got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would take Gerrard.

“Vieira has done that job for Arsenal for two or three years. But you can see Gerrard rising and rising.”