Laurent Blanc keen to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United
France national team coach Laurent Blanc says that he is interested in becoming manager of English Premier League giants Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson eventually retires.
Ferguson is now 68 years old and has been in charge of the Red Devils for 24 years. He has been incredibly successful as the club’s manager and shows no signs of slowing down, but speculation as to who will be his replacement when he does decide to step down
is ever-present.
Everton manager David Moyes, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho have all been touted as potential candidates, but Blanc is one of the few high-profile bosses to have explicitly declared his interest in the job.
According to Reuters, he said that: "Sir Alex is the cornerstone of Manchester United. He personifies Manchester’s project, he’s got this passion.
'Job would be interesting, tough challenge'
"It would be a very interesting, although a very tough challenge but maybe interesting if he is the one starting (the process of finding his replacement). With me or someone else but I could be interested."
Blanc is a former France international defender who ended his playing illustrious career under Ferguson at United. His close ties to both the Scot and the Old Trafford club mean that he would relish the chance to manage the team.
He added that: "It would please me a lot. But it would be tough to find a successor to Sir Alex. He has done it for 24 years and it will not be easy."
Despite his wish to one day manage United, Blanc is focusing on his job as manager of France, with the task of qualifying for the UEFA 2012 European Football Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine.
He has led the side to the top of their group despite losing to Belarus in their first qualifier. France’s next game is an international friendly against England on Wednesday, 17 November.
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