Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has recently revealed his admiration for the French national team manager Laurent Blanc, who he managed during his 25 years at Manchester United. It is widely expected that Sir Alex Ferguson is coming to the end of his stellar managerial career, which has seen him linked numerous titles with Manchester United in the last 25 years. A lot of replacements have been spoken about for his position, but it seems that Sir Alex Ferguson himself has identified Laurent Blanc as the perfect replacement for him. It is understood that Ferguson considers Blanc to be very similar to Guardiola.

Sir Alex Ferguson is close to approaching this 71st birthday, which has led to rumours that he will retire at the end of the season. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan also confirmed the same by saying that he feels that his close ally will not continue beyond the end of this season. During his long career with the Manchester club, Ferguson has managed to win everything including two Champions League titles. He has also made Manchester United the most successful club when it comes to the number of league titles won. His departure is expected to create a major void.

“The France team is more balanced and has become a winning team again. As in 1998, it has established a balance between young and experienced players. When Laurent played in Manchester he followed our training methods very carefully. That’s very intelligent and obviously he has qualities as a coach because he has made Les Bleus a winning team again,” said Sir Alex Ferguson in a recent interview. The 46-year-old is widely expected to leave the French national team after the end of the Euro 2012. His contract expires at the end of this major competition.