Fourth officials beware – Nemanja Vidic wants to manage in the Premier League.
The no-nonsense centre-half hung up his boots in January when talk of a return to Manchester United, the club for whom he made 300 appearances, was filling the gossip columns.
But injuries had taken their toll on the Red Devils’ former captain and he called time on a fruitful career.
The next step for Vidic, is a career in coaching and management. And Vidic has admitted that it would be a dream come true if he ever made it to the Old Trafford hot seat.
“I would like to try to be a manager in English football,” he told BBC Sport.
“It is a dream [to manage United].
“If you ask any United player if they want to be manager one day, they will say ‘yes’, but I am a long way from that.”
Vidic may have completed his UEFA A and B coaching licences but it will obviously be too early for a top-tier job like that of Manchester United boss.
With talk of Louis van Gaal’s probable departure at the end of the season, many believe the path has been laid for Jose Mourinho to walk into the position while other fans want to see assistant manager and United legend Ryan Giggs given the chance to prove himself.
Vidic had his say on who he’d like to see.
“I like the idea of Giggsy, but Mourinho has had success in the past,” he said.
“It’s a hard choice. Is Giggsy ready or not? He knows. The club knows. I believe they will have an honest conversation.
“I want someone who knows the club and does the best for the club. I shared a dressing room with him. I know he will do that.
“Mourinho plays football in a certain way, that is well known, but I definitely respect Mourinho as a manager. He is one of the greatest ever, along with Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson.”
