Perez Confirms Interest In Quieroz

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's president, has confirmed that the Spanish champions are interested in Manchester United's Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz as a possible successor to Vicente Del Bosque.

Perez said of Quieroz: "He is one of the people we are interested in. His profile fits exactly with what we are looking for."

Queiroz, former Portugal coach, joined United last summer, and manager Sir Alex Ferguson Ferguson described him as one of the best signings he had made for the club. Captain Roy Keane also praised Quieroz, saying his work on United's suspect defence was a key feature of last season's championship success.

"Carlos came at a good time for us," said Keane. "He had some time to settle in and for us to get used to his ideas and for him to get to know us."

"I think he deserves a lot of credit for the improvement of the team, especially for the defensive tightness we had."

According to The Scotsman, if Queiroz were to follow David Beckham from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu, Ferguson would have a ready-made replacement in former United midfielder Mike Phelan, who has also made a positive impression in his role as No3. However, Fergie is likely to try and persuade his current assistant to stay.