Manchester United are set to lose assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.

The Sunday Times says Queiroz is to accept an offer to become Portugal's next manager. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is resigned to losing Queiroz, a crucial figure in Manchester United's rebirth as European champions, and now faces the headache of finding the sixth No 2 of his 21-and-a-half-year reign.

Queiroz is set to sign a four-year contract with Portugal worth around £1.2m a year, a salary similar to the amount he is paid by United. He is thought to have told Ferguson of his intentions after talks on Tuesday with Gilberto Madail, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.