Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has played talk of being succeeded by Pep Guardiola with a straight bat. Asked whether Guardiola would be the perfect replacement at Old Trafford for when Ferguson does finally retire, the United boss questioned why he would want to leave Barcelona whom he described as an "extraordinary team".

Ferguson added: "Why would Pep want to leave Barcelona? If I was in his position I would firmly stay where I was.

"The Barcelona team at the moment is by far the best team. We have experienced three years of it and sometimes in football you have to hold your hand up and say 'they are better than us'.

"It's not a crime or a weakness, just a plain fact that the Barcelona team now, particularly with Lionel Messi in the side, are just an extraordinary team.

"I can't see anyone taking a trophy for them this year, Real Madrid are probably the nearest to them."