Football: IRWIN: SIR ALEX WON'T BE GOING ANYWHERE
Garry DOYLE Chief Soccer Writer

OLD TRAFFORD LEGEND ON WHY FERGIE HAS TIME ON HIS SIDE

MANCHESTER United's Irish legend Denis Irwin believes Alex Ferguson is years away from retiring - and won't let go of the Old Trafford reins until Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo pass their prime.

Irwin won 13 major trophies, including seven Premiership titles and the Champions League in his 12 years under Ferguson - and can't see his old mentor packing it in.

Not when the third great side Fergie is building is on the brink of emulating Irwin's class of 1999 by winning the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League treble.

And not when Ronaldo and Rooney are just beginning to come to the boil.

Irwin said: "I think the fact he has such a good side now would make him reluctant to relinquish control of it.

"I'd say he is looking at the youthful nature of his players - Ronaldo is 22, Rooney is 21 - and saying, 'I'll hang on for a bit longer'.

"Plus, I don't think there would be an awful lot for him to do if he retired. I mean football is his life. I don't know what he would do if he finished football. So I'd say he'll hang on for a bit longer."

By hanging on way beyond his original retirement date in 2002, Ferguson has seen this current team mature into a swashbuckling outfit, one that is now on the brink of something special.

Saturday saw them place one hand on the Premiership crown with a stunning win at Goodison Park which saw them recover from a 2-0 deficit to beat Everton 4-2.

In doing so there were echoes of that infamous late win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 - when Steve Bruce scored two late goals to turn the Championship tide their way.

Irwin was part of that first great Ferguson side - and provided a link between 1993 and 1999 when the treble was secured.

So how does the class of 2007 compare to those previous sides? And can they win another treble?

Irwin said: "It's possible but there is still such a long way to go.

"It's amazing when you get to this stage of the season how fine a line it is between success and failure.

"I remember going for the FA Cup and League - in 1995 - and ending up with neither. But the Premiership is firmly in their own hands now.

"It's too early to say if they will win the other two competitions and tomorrow's game in the San Siro is delicately poised.

"While they impressed by coming back from 2-1 down to beat Milan last week, winning in the San Siro is a different proposition.

"Milan will try to dictate the game, slow it down a little bit whereas United would like to keep the tempo high.

"But sometimes, away from home, it is harder to keep a high tempo and they may have to play with a bit more caution."

Playing with caution is not within the United coaching manual, though - and herein lies a notable difference between Irwin's 1999 side and the current United batch.

Irwin said: "This side - with Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggsy and Scholesy has more goalscoring power - and that's been seen by the fact that they have scored 20 more goals than Chelsea this year."

Five of those goals have come from John O'Shea, who sparked Saturday's comeback with a closerange effort.

Considering too that he got the winner on his last trip to Merseyside, when his 90th minute goal saw off Liverpool, and considering that Saturday was his 44th game of the campaign then it is hard to see how people can say that O'Shea is a makeweight at Old Trafford.

Irwin said: "All in all, if there was a strongest XI available, a lot of fans wouldn't put John in that XI but when you are at a club like United, it is not all about the XI, it is about the squad. You need as big a squad as possible.

"John fits into that. He has done fantastically well whenever he has come into the team and the fact that he is popping up with a few goals now is adding another string to his bow."