AS GREAT AS BUSBY

Sir Alex Ferguson may be of a near-pensionable age, he may have a heart condition and one aborted retirement already behind him but Gary Neville has conjured up the image of the Manchester United manager remaining at the club for another decade. Ferguson reaches his 20-year anniversary on Monday and Neville believes the 64-year-old can outdo Sir Matt Busby by staying at Old Trafford into his 70s.

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Alex Ferguson were to go on for another five or maybe even 10 years," said Neville. "Why should he leave? He's as determined as ever. He's still got the same passion. It's a continual challenge being at this club, it never stops and that will keep him young. He knows the club, he knows how to make it successful. We have been developing a new side with a lot of young players coming in and, hopefully, we will bear the fruits of that."

Neville is as qualified as anyone at Old Trafford to speak about Ferguson, having worked under him for 14 years, the last 12 months as captain. "There may have been a time when he was talking about retiring but that has gone away now," he said. "The nearer it got to that time, he just didn't think he could live without the club. It is a void you cannot fill, whether you leave this club as a player or a manager. It is impossible, losing that excitement, that thrill. Ask anyone who has left Old Trafford and they will tell you the same."

Ferguson's intention over the coming days is to make the anniversary as low-key as possible. Others at Old Trafford are determined to mark the occasion in style. There will be a presentation on the pitch before the game against Portsmouth tomorrow and, in terms of the history of the club, Neville paid his manager the ultimate compliment.

"Matt Busby was always seen as the godfather of this club and you would never have thought there could be another Matt Busby but we have one, and he is the manager now," said the England international. "Alex Ferguson has surpassed Sir Matt's achievements and in 20, 30 and 40 years' time people will look back and see United as being formed by two great figures rather than one. He is Manchester United, and replacing him is going to be an incredibly difficult job. Whoever takes over is going to face a daunting task because there will be so many comparisons, more from outside than from within. But that's for the future."

Neville was talking at the club's training ground in the first of a series of orchestrated tributes to the man who has accumulated 17 trophies for the club since replacing Ron Atkinson in 1986. "This club did not win the league for 26 years until Alex Ferguson took over," he said. "That's disgraceful, an embarrassment considering the resources available to the managers over the years. What he did was take the club to the level it should be at, winning championships and FA Cups and being involved in the European Cup and putting the club on the biggest stage in the world. He will tell you that is the minimum this club should achieve."

His admiration for Ferguson could hardly have made itself more obvious but he is acutely aware there will be no room for sentimentality when it comes to his own career. "I've only ever played for one manager and it would be great to think I could get to the end of my career under that manager. But he has let some great players go over the past 20 years. That is the one thing that has ensured his continued success, changing the team continually, seeing the end for players even before they see it themselves. And 100% of the time he has been proved correct.