26 Years, 27 Seasons, 38 Titles After. What's Next for MY Manchester United without Sir Alex Ferguson?

Sir Alex Ferguson will step down as Manchester United manager at the end of the season after 26 years in charge.

Fergie, 71, has won 38 trophies during his reign at Old Trafford and will now become a director and ambassador for the club. His haul includes 13 league titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about. It is the right time," Ferguson said.

Ferguson praised the people he felt helped him build the club from a team that had not won a title for 26 years into one of the biggest in the world.

"I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential," he added. "My wife, Cathy, has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.

More after the cut:

"As for my players and staff, past and present, I would like to thank them all for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution the history of this great club would not be as rich.

"In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team.”

But with an achievement like no other in the history of club football in England. His shoes would surely be a hard one to fill. Many reports are indicating that David Moyes will be announced as the next Manchester United manager and as a result some punters may still feel that 1/10 offers some value in the Everton boss taking over at Old Trafford, with Jose Mourinho, currently at Real Madrid, also tipped.

So is Juergen Klopp, the 45-year-old coach of Borussia Dortmund has proved himself in the Bundesliga since taking over in 2008.  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Known as the "baby-faced" assassin during his playing days at United, the highlight of which was his dramatic late winner in the 1999 Champions League final, the Norwegian has been well-tutored in Ferguson's management skills having coached the reserves after hanging up his boots.

Ryan Giggs/Gary Neville, Welsh winger Giggs was discovered by Ferguson as a teenager and has gone on to become one of the club's greats with more than 900 appearances and counting. Giggs is already preparing himself for life after playing by taking his coaching badges, but it is highly unlikely that he would be thrust into the top job so soon. However, with his old teammate through the youth ranks to the first team Neville, also apparently cut out for coaching, they could form a future "dream team" alongside an experienced older coach such as Moyes or Martin O'Neill.

We’ll never see a more accomplished manager in our lifetime. Forty-nine trophies is an incredible haul by one manager, and one that won’t be surpassed by any top-flight manager in our lifetime.

Beginning this summer, other teams in the Premier League will try to exploit the number one weakness at United — no Ferguson. This change could encourage clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea to spend more this summer with the knowledge that it could help them knock United off their perch.

No matter who steps into Ferguson’s shoes, he’ll always be compared to Ferguson. The Scot has left such an amazing legacy at the club, that no matter how well or not the new boss does, it’ll be under Ferguson’s shadow.

It’s too early to tell, but this could signal the end of Manchester United’s supremacy in the Premier League. It’s quite possible that United’s run of being the most successful Premier League club could come to an end in the next few years. How much of an impact Ferguson has on the club and its players will soon be revealed.

The fear factor is gone. Old Trafford has been a fortress for the past two decades. Without Ferguson managing the club, sides may be more adventurous when playing at Old Trafford knowing that they won’t be as intimidated as before. The same applies to referees who may not be as concerned by the pressure of making a key decision against United at Old Trafford.

Who will be the next great manager in the English Premier League? With Ferguson getting ready to retire, it’ll create a vacuum in the league in regards to which manager will be deemed the most successful. While Arsene Wenger has a long history of success, Arsenal’s form in the last eight years has been embarrassingly poor in regards to not winning any trophies. With Ferguson going, this could give other managers like Mancini, Benitez (at a new club), Mourinho or someone else a chance to take the throne as the best in Britain.

We could see a player exodus at United. I’m sure that one of the major reasons why several Manchester United players signed with the club was because of Sir Alex Ferguson. While the club and money has a strong hold on the players, it’s only to be expected that some players may decide to leave now that Ferguson is retiring. Don’t be surprised to see rival clubs trying to pluck key players away from Old Trafford.

Sir Alex's departure would leave a gaping hole in the world of football:

UNATTAINABLE HEIGHTS: The words “Manchester United” and “success” have become synonymous with Sir Alex over the years and his proud reign at the club could possibly go unmatched for decades to come – a feat that falls into the category which hosts records like Sir Don Bradman’s surreal Test match average of 99.96! There have been teams, which played football, and there have been great teams, which achieved and dominated and United falls in the latter category, an achievement made possible due to the influence of a great manager on a great team. The Scott had his own way of doing things at United and his strong personality and character allowed him to establish a firm hand over his players and his insistence on discipline and commitment on the pitch were key factors to the triumphs.

It is often thought that star players pave the way for a team’s success but it is the manager’s strength, which actually rubs off on the players’ performances on the pitch. United have never had a squad filled with “galacticos” like some Spanish clubs but it has always been players with great talent (whom the Scot had a vigilant eye to acquire) who grew into stars and tasted accomplishment at the club. He has been responsible for nurturing the success of football legends like Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo – players who came to him with potential and became superstars.

TROPHIES AND POUNDS: United’s success has been the envy of clubs across the world and Sir Alex’s reign not only brought them countless trophies but also financial power that saw them become the world’s most valuable sports club last year with a value of $2.23 billion – a mean feat that can be wholly attributed to the unparalleled devotion with which Ferguson managed the club and the way he took them from the pits of the Premier League to its summit. Since the year 1990 when the club won its first major trophy under him – the Football Association Cup, United have been constantly immersed in seasons of glory in the Premier League. Since 1992 they have never finished outside the top 3 and won the treble once and the League and FA cup double thrice.

UNITED’S IMMINENT CHALLENGE: United will now face a huge challenge to find a strong manager who could shoulder the responsibility of emulating the success and consistency achieved by Sir Alex. A highly daunting task no doubt considering that the club has always been among the elite, most admired and feared, the onus might fall on one of a few worthy suitors like the hugely favoured Englishman Moyes, the shrewd German Heynckes, or even the sly Special One whose interest to come back to England might actually be to lead United and not Chelsea after all – what a shocker that would actually be!

United’s next manager might never come close to matching Ferguson’s accomplishments but he would surely be a proud man deserving of stepping into the shoes vacated by arguably the best football manager there will ever be.

There might not be a jersey of MANU with Sir Alex’s name and number on the back but every inch of United will forever be exuding with the Scott’s legacy.

Sir Alex believes his successor is someone who understands the club's history and is committed to youth development while employing an attractive, attacking style of football.

I as a Manchester United fan who surely miss the man we’ve come to love, hate, adore, admire for his accomplishments in taking a Club that was bound for the second tire of English football back to a dominate force that’s known and talked about today.

Ferguson in numbers:

1: Knighthood from the Queen in June 1999

2: Champions League titles against Bayern Munich in 1999 and Chelsea in 2008

5: Teams managed by Ferguson - East Stirling 1974, St Mirren 1975-78, Aberdeen 1978-1986, Scotland 1985-86, Man Utd 1986-2013

6: Clubs as a player - Queen's Park, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Rangers, Falkirk, Ayr

9: Scottish and English FA Cup titles

17: Games missed due to touchline bans.

26: Years since United had won the title before Ferguson's triumph in 1993

38: Trophies won at Old Trafford

49: Trophies won as a manager with Manchester United, Aberdeen and St Mirren.

104: Players bought while at Manchester United. The last was Wilfried Zaha, signed from Crystal Palace for fee rising to £15m in January and loaned back to Palace.

170: Goals scored during his playing career

370: Appearances as a player

1498: Games at Manchester United, with 894 wins, 337 draws and 267 defeats