Edwards: Reds Will Cope

Former United chairman Martin Edwards believes the club will cope with the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill this summer.

The manager and chief executive are leaving their roles during a period of great change at Old Trafford but Edwards is convinced there will not be a repeat of the situation that followed Sir Matt Busby's retirement in 1969 when he briefly returned to the helm after Wilf McGuinness' short spell in charge.

"I think David has done a great job and Sir Alex has for almost 27 years," Edwards informed Sky Sports News. "Two key figures are leaving the club at the same time but, you know, Manchester United are in a very healthy position at the moment.

"They have got a good squad that has just won the league, have got resources and have just done a few major worldwide deals. I think Manchester United are in a very strong position and would have thought any manager coming in at the moment would look at the situation and say this isn't a bad team to be looking after in the future. It's a very difficult challenge, following Alex, but I think the resources are there to be successful.

"Alex is aware of what happened when Sir Matt stepped down and any new manager would be happy to have him in the background and imparting his knowledge to them. I don't see the same problem arising again."