Sir Alex's successor: The top contenders

Sir Alex Ferguson is presented with a photo to commemorate his 25th year as manager, as the North Stand is renamed the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson Stand’ during the Barclays Premier League match against Sunderland at Old Trafford on November 5, 2011 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

Death, taxes and Sir Alex Ferguson retiring – are all inevitable.

It is beyond doubt that Sir Alex just like Sir Matt Busby – cannot be replaced. What he has brought to the game and his energy at 70 cannot be matched. Anointing his successor would be the toughest task that the management at Old Trafford would have to make in the last 2 decades. Undoubtedly groundwork on this would be complete but speculation always exists.

Contenders to this position would be in the likes of Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Guus Hiddink, etc. In my opinion the front runners would probably be Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and David Moyes. But who among these would be the best fit?

Its all a matter of perspectives – Mourinho and Guardiola are the best placed and have their own style and charm, but personally I would go with David Moyes. Some of you may nod in approval and some may find this bizarre, but I have a strong feeling that he has it all to be the next manager at Manchester United. Except for maybe the lack of European experience, he’s got age on his side, Premier League experience, a strong tactical acumen, an eye for players of value, ability to spot youth talent and he’s Scottish. A close second would be Jurgen Klopp.

Why not Mourinho? He’s one of the best managers in the world today by a mile – but he’s also a guy who loves to travel; so I doubt he’s the type who’d stay at a club for 25 years and build a dynasty. Mourinho incidentally has managed 6 clubs since 2000 (Benefica, UD Leiria, Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid), which is an average of around 2 years per club. I do not see him staying for the long term – he is bound to move on to other challenges once he achieves it all at Manchester United.

Guardiola then? Well, he’s a man who tired out and asked for a break after just 4 years at the helm at Barcelona; and mind you, he’s 41. Sir Alex at 70 with no signs of fatigue. Managing a team with just one competitor in your league is much easier than managing a team in an open-ended league. Guardiola may not have it in him to handle this high-pressure job. His next contract is with Bayern and we know that there are just two real contenders in the Bundesliga too.

Everton on the other hand, have always been a strong team given their finances; David Moyes is the 3rd longest-serving manager in the league after Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger. He was also awarded the League Managers Association Manager of the Year thrice – in 2003, 2005 and 2009 – which is also the same number of times that Sir Alex has won this award (1999,2008 and 2011), and Arsene Wenger has won it only twice (2002,2004). Moyes has the resolve to stay at one team and strive even under difficult circumstances (he has been at Everton from 2002) and has the strength not to give up. Moyes also seems to have a good business acumen – from 2003 till date, Everton have made purchases worth £128,050,500, sold players totally worth £122,416,000. Which is a net-spend of about £6,000,000 over ten years.

Jurgen Klopp, his final positions with Dortmund read 6th, 5th, 1st, 1st in his four seasons so far. This includes the first ever double in the history of Borussia Dortmund. They’re also among the favorites to win the Champions League this year. Their roster boasts of likes of Robert Lewandowski, Matt Hummels, Mario Gotze, etc. who are also among the most wanted players across Europe. Klopps drawback could be his lack of experience with the rigours of the English Game.

There are also some quarters that are rooting for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – personally I would have him assist Moyes and maybe someday take the reigns but not immediately given his limited managerial experience. Though what he has achieved with Molde is exemplary – he still may not be ready for prime-time yet. So I would stick with Moyes with Sir Alex playing mentor to allow smooth transition and Solskjaer being the assistant manager/coach. This would also give Old Trafford time to evaluate Jurgen Klopp’s longevity if need be.

Personally my favorite is David Moyes but again like I said, it’s a question of opinion.