With Sir Alex Ferguson approaching his 68th birthday, the press speculation as to his eventual successor is about to enter full swing yet again.

Replacing the Scot is a seemingly impossible task, but are the stars aligning for Laurent Blanc to step in?

It is clear that the next in Old Trafford’s hot-seat will need some time to readjust the chair which is now perfectly contoured to Sir Alex’s rear end after 23 years on the throne.

The executives are also aware that they aren’t looking for a mere manager, they need a guru, a win-at-all-costs work ethic simply won’t suffice as Manchester United is as much about a methodology or an ideal as it is about results and profits.

So why does Laurent Blanc fit the bill better than say Carlos Queiroz, Arséne Wenger, Jose Mourinho, David Moyes, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill or Roy Keane?

Here are the five crucial points.

The Player: The enigmatic Frenchman had a playing career that most others can only dream of with 16 goals and 97 caps for France as well as stints at Barcelona, Marseille, Inter and Manchester United. He was an excellent technician and a defender with prowess who scored a hat full of goals.

We’ve seen with the likes of Paul Ince and Roy Keane, excellent players don’t necessarily make excellent managers, however it does offer a platform that Wenger, Queiroz and Mourinho never had.

The Club: Wenger, Moyes, O’Neill and Mourinho have never played for the club and they have always bought their own ethos to the teams they have managed but United doesn’t need an attitude change, they don’t need a new culture, they need a captain, to come in and steer the ship, someone to take the beliefs of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson further and pass on a message.

The Titles: He has already proved himself with Bordeaux in winning Ligue 1 and winning titles is something that the likes of Moyes, Hughes, Keane and Bruce – all named as heirs’ apparent – are yet to do at the highest level.

Both Wenger and Mourinho have been successful in England and Europe, Mourinho’s short spell at Chelsea reaped huge rewards while Wenger created the Invincibles, a team that is unlikely to be surpassed in this life time.

Of the other names that are considered to be potential candidates, only O’Neill has had success with Celtic in Scotland and a couple of Carling Cups with Leicester, while Queiroz, it would appear, is a “nearly man”, a great assistant but an ordinary manager.

The Respect: He is obviously admired by Sir Alex as evidenced by his three attempts to sign him as a player (he finally transferred to United in 2001) and two attempts to add him to the coaching staff, both of which he rejected to further his education as a manager, rather than as assistant.

It is widely thought Sir Alex will play a role in determining his successor and as such this relationship of mutual respect could go a long way to Blanc’s appointment.

The X-Factor: He fits the old Dirty Harry saying of; “A man’s got to know his limitations”.

Of the names mentioned, one could only really accuse the overly-ambitious Mourinho and Keane of not knowing their limitations. Importantly, Blanc has had the chance to join Sir Alex at Old Trafford, last summer when Queiroz left to take the reins of the Portuguese national team but he opted to stay on with Bordeaux and continue his development as a head coach, noting, “Two years experience isn’t enough for the top English jobs.

“My ideal career path would be to start in France, then manage abroad, and then return to head the French national team.”

While Mourinho would probably be second favourite, his individualistic ego knows no bounds, Blanc on the other hand is humble enough to know that he is still learning his trade and will always put the club ahead of himself.

Of all the contenders, only Blanc fulfills all five points and that, for mine, puts him ahead of the pack.

You can expect the speculation to begin any day now but could it be that the decision has already been made?

The summer sale of Gabriel Obertan in the summer to United for £3 million has a funny smell about it. While Obertan might have gone to United to further his education, is it thinkable that in conjunction with Sir Alex, Blanc might be looking out for United’s future?

There is also Marounae Chamakh, Arsenal’s main transfer target didn’t end up heading to London when the Gunners needed a replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor, could it be that his retention was in order to send him to Manchester sometime in the future?

Obviously this isn’t based on cold hard facts, but sometimes in football one and one make two, other times you get three.

Blanc might or might not be United’s saviour but “if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster”.

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