Sir Alex influenced Moyes sacking and will have say in new boss

Sir Alex Ferguson was the man behind the appointment of David Moyes at the end of last season, but there are claims he influenced the sacking of his fellow Scot. Now, reports say the Manchester United legend will be heavily involved in deciding the new boss.

Will Ferguson and the board admit their error and go for someone with a proven record, rather than domestic bias? Never in the club’s history has a foreign manager been in charge (outside of the British Isles), but perhaps it is time the Red Devils changed that.

Interim boss Ryan Giggs, 20/1 (from 6/1) to take over permanently at Old Trafford, is already out of the running according to reports, while former United captain Steve Bruce (20/1) remains the only Brit that can realistically take the job.

That leaves the likes of overseas quartet Louis van Gaal (4/6, from 5/1), Carlo Ancelotti (6/1, from 25/1), Jose Mourinho (14/1, from 40/1) and Jurgen Klopp (16/1, from 5/1) as the main contenders.

While Van Gaal is the odds-on favourite for the United hotseat, it seems very unlikely that he would be Ferguson’s preferred choice. The Dutchman, who is leaving his position as Netherlands boss after the World Cup, has won trophies at every club he has managed (Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich) but, at 62 years of age, he is certainly not a long-term choice.

Former Nottingham Forest forward and Dutch international Bryan Roy, who is in charge of the Ajax reserves, meanwhile, said: “[Van Gaal] will never turn down Manchester United, believe me. I think it’s the job he really wants. And he will be a revelation at Manchester United.”

Ancelotti, meanwhile, has had his odds dramatically slashed and, should the Italian add the Champions League and La Liga titles to his Copa del Rey triumph with Real Madrid this campaign, he may decide to move on. Former Red Devil Ray Wilkins, who assisted him at Chelsea, has given his backing for Ancelotti, who is reportedly unsettled at the Bernabeu, to take the job.