No rush for new assistant

Sir Alex Ferguson will take his time before deciding who to appoint as his new assistant manager.

Carlos Queiroz's departure to take over the Portuguese national team has left a hole in the Reds' backroom staff ahead of the new season, but the United manager will not panic in his hunt for a new assistant.

When asked if the search for a replacement had already begun, Sir Alex told MUTV: "Not really, we’ll just take our time as we normally do. We’ll wait and see how things unfold."

Queiroz admitted he left Old Trafford 'with heavy heart' after a trophy-laden spell at Old Trafford, and Sir Alex was quick to pay tribute to the tactician's impact behind the scenes.

"It’s disappointing but nationalities come into it in terms of him being an emotionally fervent Portuguese man, and the attraction being too big," said Sir Alex.

"It’s disappointing but he did a great job for us and that’s why he’ll be remembered. He’s gone with our best wishes. He did a terrific job for us and a lot of the innovations we’ve had over the last few years are down to Carlos."