“It will be difficult to replace him – it’s naive to say anything other than that,”

Having  just celebrated 25 years in charge of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson is in no mood to discuss retirement.

Still as competitive as ever, United remain in good hands.

But turning 70 in December, it is inevitable that sooner rather than later Sir Alex will relinquish control of the club.

And Chief Executive David Gill admits it is something he has had in his thoughts.

And whilst the day may be far away, Gill is quite specific in what the club is looking for in a new manager.

Speaking on MUTV, Gill stated:

“It will be difficult to replace him – it’s naive to say anything other than that.

“But we are a great club whose values go back in history to our heritage to the ’50s and ’60s and the last 25 years with Alex.

“To continue with that, the new manager needs to understand those values and the vision for the club and must buy into that.”