Christopher Chang: Immortalised Ferguson unrivaled

The greatest manager in the world has been immortalised at Old Trafford's North Stand. Sir Alex Ferguson's name now bears down from the rooftop after 25 years of phenomenal success with Manchester United.

He will surpass Sir Matt Busby's record as the longest-serving manager in the club's history this month, a feat that will unlikely ever be repeated. Harry Redknapp last week underwent heart surgery, but Tottenham fans also had to endure palpitations as their team tortured them with a nervous finish in the 3-1 win at Fulham. Redknapp is not the first Premier League manager to spend time in hospital for cardiac-related treatment - but that only serves to underscore Ferguson's tremendous staying power at United.

While rival clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool have had a revolving door when it comes to the man in charge, United have enjoyed stability with one man at the helm. The conductor at the Theatre of Dreams came close to retiring in 2002, before realising his desire to continue managing was too fierce.

Ferguson's current campaign is the first where the "noisy neighbours" are genuinely threatening to crash the party and take the title across town. He has always managed to reinvent his teams following the departure of big names - Wayne Rooney took up the mantle in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Madrid and Ferguson has injected fresh, young talent this season. Ashley Young, Phil Jones, and Danny Welbeck are among the current crop of youngsters reinvigorating the latest Ferguson line-up.

While Ronaldo was masterminding Real Madrid's 7-1 thrashing of Osasuna in Spain, it is tempting to wonder just how useful he would be right now as United gun for a record 20th league title.

The world's costliest player collected La Liga's Golden Boot on the weekend for his 40 league goals last year. Ferguson won the title without the Portuguese forward, but the complexion of this season means he could do with someone amassing numbers like that. City have scored 11 more goals than United so far and even with Rooney, Chicharito, and Berbatov, Ferguson could do with a guaranteed production belt of the most valuable currency: goals.

Ronaldo scored 84 goals in 196 appearances for United, but his ability to produce the sublime at any moment would give Ferguson the ace in the pack that he currently lacks. Chasing trophies on multiple fronts can take its toll, and City arguably have the squad (although possibly not the experience) to cope with the marathon season. Paul Scholes' retirement has highlighted just how good he was for Ferguson - and David Silva is now providing for City what Ferguson enjoyed for so long with the ginger maestro; a dictator of play, the metronome beat for the team's rhythm.

The relationship between the Ferguson and Ronaldo remains strong. The Madridista has never closed the door on a return to Manchester. Whether United could afford him in a few years is another question, but you wouldn't rule out the possibility that if he did return later in his career, Sir Alex would still be around.