Carlos Queiroz’s departure from United to take over from Scolari as Portugal coach means that Chelsea have inadvertently inflicted an early blow on their Old Trafford rivals ahead of the new season.

Besides acquiring a World Cup-winning coach in Scolari, they also set in motion a chain of events which has cost Sir Alex Ferguson his trusted right-hand man.

Queiroz played a vital role as Ferguson’s number two, overseeing much of the squad’s work on the training ground and playing an influential role in the team’s tactical development from a traditional 4-4-2 formation to a more flexible approach.

Ferguson once said to reporters that Queiroz had helped to “widen our horizons” and the fact the Scot welcomed him back with open arms in 2004, 12 months after his defection to Real Madrid, underlines how much the manager valued him.  

The 55-year-old’s contacts book also helped United acquire young Portuguese-speaking talents like Nani, Anderson and Manucho, and his departure will do little to help the club’s prospects of holding on to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Queiroz is known to be close to Ronaldo and helped to persuade him to stay in Manchester after the fall-out from England’s 2006 World Cup defeat by Portugal. Indeed, the winger has described Queiroz as a father figure.

It is hard not to conclude that finding a replacement for Queiroz — multilingual and tactically astute — will not be easy.    

That is the task facing Ferguson as he begins the search for the sixth assistant of his long reign — a decision he may well need to get right if United are to keep Scolari’s Chelsea in their slipstream in the season ahead.

PHOTO: Manchester United coach Ferguson and assistant Queiroz speak during a training session, April 8. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

There have been a lot of stories lately about Avram Grant, and how he needs to prove his worth as a coach by seeing Chelsea to victory in the Champions League final on Wednesday (See Richard Williams in the Guardian for a flavour).

But Grant is far from the only one who goes into this final with something to prove or who is desperate to make amends for past disappointments.

Michael Ballack (2002 Bayer Leverkusen), Patrice Evra (2004 Monaco) and Ashley Cole (2006 Arsenal) have only known what it’s like to lose a Champions League final, while the last time Andriy Shevchenko appeared in the final was on that night in Istanbul three years ago.

Then there’s Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager has one Champions League title under his belt but the Scot may still feel under a little pressure to get things right on Wednesday.

Everyone remembers the frantic last couple of minutes when United beat Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999 but I bet Ferguson still recalls how his tactics for the final didn’t do the team any favours.

With Scholes and Keane unavailable, Ferguson chose Beckham to play in central midfield and pushed Giggs out on the right, where he endured a disappointing night.
   
It turned out all right in the end, just like it did for Rafa Benitez in 2005, but only after a desperate last throw of the dice. It was a wonderfully happy ending, but I bet Ferguson would love to win the tactical battle this time round as well.

Kevin Fylan, Moscow

PHOTO: Alex Ferguson lifts the trophy with his players after Manchester Utd win the 1999 Champions League final, May 26, 1999. REUTERS

Ferguson, understandably feeling pretty pleased, also more or less ruled out retiring even if United go on to celebrate a double with victory over Chelsea in Moscow later this month.

United played the best attacking football in England this season so it’s hard to argue that they didn’t deserve the title, and it was great to see Ryan Giggs, on a record-equalling day, come off the bench to put the finishing touches to the win.

But is Ferguson right in thinking this will give United a significant advantage going into the Champions League final? Winning titles is infectious, but then again, they may just find it tough to take their minds off Chelsea’s victory over them last month.

What do you reckon? Are United worthy champions? Will they go on and add the Champions League to Ferguson’s already fantastic honours board? Or can Chelsea come back from this?

PHOTO: Ryan Giggs raises the Premier League trophy on Sunday, May 11, 2008. REUTERS/Phil Noble.