Manchester United’s next manager will be faced with an unenviable task - trying to bring back the glory days enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Whilst achieving the level of sustained success that Ferguson did will be near-impossible, the legendary Scot ensured expectations at Old Trafford will always remain high. A squad filled with club legends made that success possible, and whoever eventually becomes the next permanent manager will have a big task to build a reliable squad capable of challenging for top honours again.
Since retiring in 2013, Ferguson has spoken plenty about the incredible players he worked with including the likes of Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and countless others. But, when naming his first name on the teamsheet, his answer may have come as something of a surprise.
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"Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of 10,” Ferguson wrote in his autobiography.
"At Highbury in one game, he had a bad pass back in the last minute and [Dennis] Bergkamp came in and scored. After the game the press said: 'You must be disappointed in that pass back.' I said: 'Well, one mistake in 10 years isn't bad.' He was an unbelievable player.”
Whilst Irwin was an understated star of United ’s very best sides, that is exactly the sort of player they now crave. The talent of their expensively assembled squad has never been questioned, whereas the host of individual errors and a tendency to let games slip has remained a constant issue.
Whether Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, Julen Loptegui, Luis Enrique or another name ends up in the Old Trafford hotseat, they will have work to do. And players such as Irwin, who can be relied upon for eight out of 10 performances and rarely making mistakes would be exactly the sort of players they need to overcome their recent struggles.
