Man Utd have a plan after Ferguson: Gill

Manchester: Manchester United chief executive David Gill has said that the club already have an idea of how they will go about appointing manager Sir Alex Ferguson's successor when he decides to stand down.

Sir Alex is embarking on his 25th season at Old Trafford and will also mark his 70th birthday on December 31, and Gill has said that although his hunger for success remains undiminished, they are prepared for when Ferguson eventually decides to retire.

Gill told The Guardian: "There won't be meltdown. It will clearly be a sea change for the club and we have to be ready.

"I will co-ordinate the process, but, clearly, I will take great store in what he [Ferguson] says and what other key people at the club say.

"The owners will clearly have a view. All these things will come together.

"It would be a collective body, not a big body, but we would get all the input to make sure we make the appropriate choice."

"We never discuss it [Sir Alex's retirement], put it that way. He delegates well and football keeps him young."

Meanwhile, Gill criticised those supporters who are still opposed to the Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United, but believes that the majority of fans now trust the Florida-based owners.

He added: "We are never going to win [over] those people.

"If we won four European Cups in a row, there will be certain people who won't like the owners and what they stand for.

"The anti-people were here before the Glazers.

"But we are running the club for the vast majority of millions of fans around the world who believe the club is moving in the right direction.

"The minority – MUST [Manchester United Supporters' Trust] etc – will always be against it, but the vast majority can't be dissatisfied with the seasons we've had [under the Glazers].

"The green-and-gold campaign has not disappeared completely, but it has died down dramatically during the past season and we move on."

Manchester United start their domestic season against local rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 7, before opening the defence of their Premier League title away to West Bromwich Albion one week later.