Mourinho will succeed Ferguson at United – Sneijder

Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder is convinced José Mourinho will replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United when the Scottish manager steps down.

Ferguson, 68, has been in charge of the Red Devils for almost 24 years, guiding the club through its most successful period – but speculation continues over who will eventually step into the Scot’s shoes.

Sneijder, who was part of the Inter side that won the treble under Mourinho last season, claims he would bet money on the Portuguese coach being the man to take the reins from Ferguson at Old Trafford.

“I have had many deep and long conversations with José and I would put money on him taking over from Ferguson,” the Dutch midfielder told the Daily Star Sunday. “I know the job he would want is to be Manchester United manager.

“To be honest, he is probably the only coach in the world who is capable of taking over from Alex Ferguson.

“When Ferguson retires, in my mind, it’s a deal already done in people’s heads. One world-class manager leaves and another one takes over.

“I know Alex Ferguson will have a big say in who takes over from him – and, even though they have their differences, there is a big mutual respect.”

The Dutch midfielder added: “I know how excited he is to get back to the Premier League. When he talked about it, he was like a little kid. He was so excited. It really turns him on”