Sir Alex Ferguson recently announced that he probably has three more year left in him as Manchester United boss, and given his fantastic service with the Premier League giants and just how much he has achieved since he joined them way back in 1986, is it time to start looking at life at Old Traford after Sir Fergie?
After a stuttering start at Old Trafford, Ferguson has gone on to such astonishing success it would be fair to say that he is one of, if not THE, most important football manager to ever ply his trade in the UK.
One of the key things to remember about the former Aberdeen boss's time in Manchester is that it took time for him to get his bearings at the club, time for him to put his stamp on a club that had essentially lost it’s way in terms of real tangible success. Yet he was given time, and the club hasn’t looked back since. It’s interesting to ponder whether such time would have been given to him now in the cut-throat world of Premier League football.
He slugged away for three years which Sir Alex himself stated were "the darkest period [he had] ever suffered in the game." This of course included that 5-1 defeat at the hands of neighbours City among other diabolic performances.
Even now it is hard to believe that for three of his first four seasons the best positions he could manage were outside the top ten. Then the tide turned, and there were any number of turning points and choices that have been cited as reasons for United’s rise to power. Any way you look at it, the trophy count amassed by the former Glasgow shipyard worker is simply phenomenal and is unlikely to be equalled any time soon.
But what next? It's surely an issue that United fans will be discussing with a certain amount of trepidation. Whilst it’s true that Sir Alex has made such an indelible mark on the club that it is unlikely they would falter greatly, it is difficult to imagine any incoming manager capable of matching his achievements over the last two decades.
The club has gone through many changes since 1986 - from the backroom right through to the current playing staff, a magnificent stadium and worldwide recognition as one of the biggest and most successful clubs on planet earth. But what does the future hold?
Many names have been linked with the club and I could indeed list a dozen or so right now. But they are all the result of groundless speculation and I wouldn’t want to feed the media machine.
But I would ask loyal supporters who they feel could fill the great man's shoes once the gum-chewing Scot disappears from our screens.