Caliber, youth and quality.

Sad news: he is leaving.

Even though he knows how much he is loved and appreciated by the club, fans, and most importantly by Alex Ferguson who loves him most. But I do not think he will stay.

The guy is Portuguese and to coach his national team (with the current crop of players) is certainly something he would want. To coach the World Cup semi-finalists; a team that has Deco, Simao, Quaresma, Carvalho and Cristiano Ronaldo – the best player in the world. I mean who would say no?

Carlos left in 2003 when Madrid came calling, and the charm of a club that had Zidane and Figo at the time was hard to turn down, and this summer, the satiation is very much similar, yet it is even more tempting as it is his homeland. Carlos knew that if he had said no to Madrid back then, he would never get that chance again, because he knows quite well that there are top coaches out there better than him. I believe this is the same case with Portugal. The new coach would have a mission to qualify and do well at the World Cup in 2010, and if he did well then most probably he will continue to Euro 2012 and then step down. That is 4 years from now. By that time Alex Ferguson would have retired (I HOPE NOT), and a new coach taking over, and for me, Queiroz wants out now as he cannot guarantee being on top when Fergie steps down. I am sure if he was given assurances, he would have not bothered talking to Portuguese Federation in the first place. And at the same time he might be thinking that if he goes now and impresses then it might strengthen his chances to be called by the Glazers and Gill to come back and replace our legendary coach.

One of the reasons Queiroz is also leaving for, is that sooner or later one of Rui Costa and Figo would be approached and appointed as coach; similar to the trend by other European nations for the past 10 years now (Netherlands, Italy and Germany) to allow young ex professionals to coach. And we all know how much the Portuguese nation loves both players, and I am sure public demand would want them to be in charge now, had they not been playing. We cannot also forget that Jose Mourinho is 45, and as he stated on several occasions before, "I will be coaching Portugal one day, before I reach 60" – and let's say he will spend between 3 to 5 years at Inter, depending on the success he brings, that makes him 50 years old and will have only one destination left before coaching Portugal, and during his last club stint – either Figo or Rui Costa would be in total control. That's why Queiroz must take this opportunity now as it will be impossible to have it in 5 years time.

The big question now would be who would replace him?

We all know that Sir Alex needs an assistant. Fact is; we won nothing without an assistant. In 2001/2002 we reached the semis of the Champions League, but lost the league at home to Arsenal who went on to win the double. 2 seasons later (2003/2004) we were playing some of the worst football while Arsenal finishing the season unbeaten. We managed to win an FA Cup but Fergie had an assistant by March (Walter Smith). I am not saying that having an assistant guarantees success. But the odds to do well while having a good assistant are much higher than being all alone.

I've read recently that we are being linked to Pako Ayesteran (Liverpool's and Valencia's Rafa ex assistant) and Barnsley's coach Simon Davey. I personally find the first name a much better reinforcement if it happens. Pako is well known in Europe for being a good coach as well as a great trainer. He is a big fan of stamina and physical strength, something that we all noticed in Liverpool players for the past few seasons. I also believe that being an international (non-English) assistant is an advantage nowadays because he will be able to provide Fergie with ideas from different backgrounds accompanied by diversified techniques too. No offence to Simon Davey, but the guy never played for a big team and never managed a big team, so he is unaware of the whole European football and the many styles it brings along. If we are going to bring an Englishman then I find no other than Alan Shearer! He turned us down twice as a player, but what a knowledgeable man he is of the modern game. Shearer currently working as a pundit would accept to be Fergie's right-hand man without hesitation. He wants to learn, and there is no better to learn from than the master. I know many United fans wouldn’t accept the idea, but if you want an Englishman then go and get him. He would not turn us down. Imagine the rewards that would be reflected on strikers like Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, and of course Saha (if he is still playing with us). Shearer would help them improve their game and style of play. With the international know-how he had with England, he would qualify for that role. But again, that's if you want an Englishman.

Lauren Blanc would be ideal as not only a top player he was, but also an ex United member who knows half of this team inside out. After leading Bordeaux in his first season as a coach to finish 2^nd and qualify for the Champions League group stages, I am sure it would be very hard to tempt him. He would want to give it a shot against the big boys, and who wouldn’t?

Another candidate that would appeal to me is Henning Berg; the great Norwegian who defended our colours with great pride. Berg spent 11 seasons in the United Kingdom and is the only player to win the Premiership with 2 clubs (Blackburn and United). He has 100 caps for his country and has been coaching FC Lyn for the past 3 years. The guy has the experience and has the potential. He is also very indulgent and loved by everyone in the club.

Finally, and call me greedy on this one...but I would love to see Eric Cantona on that bench. He has all the right attributes. He will set the place alight and would do a perfect job no doubt about that. He might not look as serious to you as he used to be, but when he is on that pitch with those shorts, he will get it all back. My only concern is I really doubt if Fergie would ever give him that chance. Sir Alex likes the whole 'one man show' concerning his players - he speaks out for them, he defends them, etc... We rarely saw Queiroz giving interviews and analyzing situations with other teams, and even though Eric is nowhere near Queiroz when it comes to coaching, but he certainly is more popular with the British fans and the British press. The presence of Cantona would definitely grab the attention of the cameras, and I am not pretty sure if that's what Ferguson wants at the moment. I also fear that the pair could clash in regards to opinions. We all know how Cantona speaks his mind out just like Jose Mourinho and causes controversy and this is definitely not the way to work with Alex. If it happens though, I would be happier than ever.

I need to state that I don’t want Brian Kidd. The guy is 59 years old, and he is not the same man he used to be 15 years ago. We need to bring in someone young and enthusiastic. I would have given the role to Ole, but it seems like he wants to work with the kids first, and personally I don’t believe that any of Brian McClair and Mike Phelan qualifies to be the 2^nd man. We need someone who has charisma. Someone the players would look up to and listen. Someone whose age is close to that of the players. We want someone the players would relate to as 'one of them'. We need someone like Cantona, Berg, Blanc and Shearer.

Thank you for the memories, Carlos. And good luck coaching Portugal.