(London, GBR) - Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of the season, with David Moyes in line to take up the daunting task of following him at Old Trafford.
Premier League champions United announced Wednesday that Ferguson was calling time on the most successful managerial reign in English football.
The shock revelation led to a flurry of speculation about who would succeed him, with Everton manager Moyes widely tipped to replace his fellow Scottish boss in the Old Trafford hotseat -- possibly as soon as Thursday.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, who established a friendly rivalry with Ferguson while in charge of United's rivals Chelsea, has also been touted for the role.
However, Moyes was the odds-on favourite with all the leading British bookmakers.
And he had support of a different kind from former United defender Gary Neville and ex-England manager Steve McClaren, once Ferguson's assistant at Old Trafford.
"I would welcome the appointment of David Moyes. Somebody who is there for the long term. This is not a club that will go for quick fixes," Neville told Sky Sports.
McClaren, in an interview with BBC Radio Five, said: "David Moyes has probably waited all these years for this opportunity and I hope he gets it."
Ferguson, 71, guided United to 13 Premier League titles and two European Champions League crowns in 26 years in charge at Old Trafford that yielded an astounding 38 major trophies in total.
Arguably the highlight of his career was the unprecedented Treble of 1999, which included the Premier League, FA Cup and a thrilling come-from-behind win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Rumours of his retirement only began circulating late on Tuesday, but Ferguson said it was a decision he had been considering for some time.
"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time," Ferguson said in a statement.
"It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so," added Ferguson, who will bow out with United having wrested back the Premier League title this season from local rivals Manchester City.
Ferguson will remain at United as a director and club ambassador, and said he was confident he was stepping down as manager with the team in good shape.
"The quality of this league-winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level, whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one," he said.
Ferguson's final game in charge will be away to West Bromwich Albion on May 19.
United defender Rio Ferdinand praised Ferguson's unmatched commitment to improving the side, telling his Twitter followers: "The bosses (sic) work ethic, his desire to win + to make us better players were unrivalled. Thanks boss."
Meanwhile, David Beckham, on United's books as a schoolboy before making his way into the first team, said Ferguson had been like a father to him.
"As I have said many times before the boss wasn't just the greatest and best manager I ever played under, he was also a father figure to me from the moment I arrived at the club at the age of 11 until the day I left," said Beckham, now with French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
There was praise too from an unexpected quarter when Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez, one of Ferguson's bitterest rivals, saluted his old foe.
Ferguson and Benitez often clashed when the Spaniard was coach at Liverpool.
But Benitez, ahead of Chelsea's Premier League match against Tottenham on Wednesday, insisted: "I have always liked to compete against him as a manager.
"As a person, I wish him health in his retirement and I hope he enjoys his football in a different way."
Such has been Ferguson's impact upon United, the club's shares fell by more than four percent in early trading on the US Nasdaq exchange following the announcement of his retirement.
Bobby Charlton, one of the United directors who appointed Ferguson in 1986 and who persuaded the club's board against sacking him four years later during a run of poor results, hailed a "sensational person".
In his career, Ferguson claimed 49 major trophies in all, culminating in this season's Premier League triumph.
Ferguson forged his managerial reputation in charge of Aberdeen, taking the Dons to a trio of Scottish league titles and the 1983 UEFA Cup' Winners Cup before joining United in 1986.
