Greenhoff: Mourinho the man to replace Fergie

Manchester United will be welcoming the man Brian Greenhoff believes should succeed Alex Ferguson when Real Madrid head to Old Trafford on March 5.

United’s meeting with the Spanish giants is undoubtedly the stand-out tie of the Champions League last 16.

It represents Cristiano Ronaldo’s first meeting with the club where he made his name and sees Jose Mourinho back at the ground where his famous dance following Porto’s triumph in 2004 introduced him to English audiences.

And, with speculation rife Mourinho will leave the Bernabeu this summer even if he delivers the 10th European Cup his club craves, Greenhoff feels United would represent the ideal next stage on his incredible career path.

“United must get someone who has managed a big club,” Greenhoff said. “Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho would be perfect.

“United is massive. People don’t realise how big it is. But they know what it is like and, given a choice, I would say Mourinho.

“I think he wants the job for a start and it would not surprise me at all if that is what eventually happens. Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken before saying Mourinho could do the job.

“If he wins the Champions League this year with Real Madrid, I think he could be persuaded to come to Old Trafford.”

Of course for that to happen, it will now have to come directly at United’s expense.

And it must also be remembered that Ferguson has never offered any indication he is ready to end his 26-year spell in the most pressurised of jobs.

Yet it is that longevity which makes looking into the future such a fascinating pastime, or a frightening one for many United supporters who worry what a post-Ferguson era will look like given the club got it so badly wrong when Matt Busby ended his illustrious time in charge.

Greenhoff was around at the time after becoming one of Busby’s last signings, a period of upheaval which he chronicles in his recently-released autobiography ’Greenhoff’.

However, while he can only cross his fingers that chief executive David Gill offers the correct advice to the Glazer family, Greenhoff is confident the matter will be handled much better than it was three decades ago.

“First of all they promoted Wilf McGuinness from within, which is not normally the United way,” Greenhoff said.

“We were surprised but a lot of the younger lads were quite pleased because there were a lot of older players coming to retirement age.

“I ended up feeling quite sorry for him though because those older players still had a lot of power and Wilf didn’t really get his ideas across, which basically involved trying to build a team round George Best.”

McGuinness lasted only 87 games before Busby took charge once more, with the baton then being handed onto former Leicester boss Frank O’Farrell in 1971.

“It was weird,” Greenhoff added. “Wilf was very much a tracksuit guy but we hardly ever saw Frank. He was like an office manager.

“But young players want to see their manager. They want to impress him. They can’t impress him whilst he is in his office.”

It is fair to say O’Farrell did not impress and United were on a downward spiral when he was dismissed in 1972, having lasted even less time than McGuinness.

Tommy Docherty could not halt the slide into Division Two but he reintroduced the personality so obviously needed in a United boss, even more so now in an era where even average players earn more money than most supporters can even dream about.

“Mourinho and Guardiola can attract players,” Greenhoff added. “The club is big enough to bring some in but sometimes people do just look at the manager, which is something United also have to remember.”