Bye bye Carlos, Hello Mickey!

For United the departure of Carlos Queiroz to replace Scolari as manager of Portugal has left a coaching gap which Mike Phelan may not be the man to fill. It is an open secret that Queiroz was responsible for much of the defensive tactics and training that served United so well last season, especially in Europe. The partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand was immense last season, but this season there have been some slips from the pair. Another problem for United this season is Cristiano Ronaldo. Apart from his injuries which restricted his appearances early in the campaign, he has failed to reproduce the glittering form that he showed consistently last season. And no wonder! He was so good last season that it would be virtually impossible for him to better, or even equal it. Ferguson may have been better to sell him to Real over the summer as it is unlikely he will ever command such a high fee again as Real were willing to pay.