GettyImagesSir Alex Ferguson will face up to United favourite Mark Hughes this weekend

Roberto Di Matteo this week became the latest manager to fall beneath Roman Abramovich's axe. The Champions League winning coach was that rarest of things in modern football - a former player turned successful manager. Not since the days of Kenny Dalglish's first stint as Liverpool boss has a former player collected major trophies in the dugout for the same club. United have a particularly long list of old boys who won't be getting a call when Sir Alex retires.

An enormous number of United players have tried their hands at management. In the mid-nineties, when Bryan Robson went north to Middlesbrough, seasoned reds assumed he would simply serve his apprenticeship there before returning to OT. Captain Marvel turned out to have mixed fortunes as a manager. He led Middlesbrough to two cup finals, both of which they lost. After stints with West Bromwich Albion, Bradford and Sheffield United, he did finally return to Manchester in 2008 - as a club ambassador.

When Roy Keane led a barn-burning Sunderland to promotion in 2007, he was the hottest property on the managerial market. Sunderland had been bottom of the Championship when he took over. As the 2007/08 season began, English football boasted a bizarre statistic. In Paul Ince, Keane, Steve Bruce, Steve Coppell and Mark Hughes, five clubs were being run by ex-United players - four of them from the 1993/1994 double season. None are in contention for top jobs when they become available now.

More recently, United's succession hopes have been pinned on the fledgling careers of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville. In particular, Neville's work with England and Sky TV has been rightly lauded. Solskjaer, the hero of the Camp Nou, has also impressed whilst winning titles in Norway.

None of this will be any comfort to Di Matteo of course. There was always the sense that Abramovich didn't like him and that the first blip in form would result in his dismissal. The Italian deserves much credit for changing Chelsea's playing style and winning the European Cup, despite the views of the owner. In fact, this is the first Chelsea side since Di Matteo was a player which is genuinely worth watching.

Chelsea and our other main rivals for the title face off this weekend, both having had chastening experiences in the week. A dour 0-0 draw would probably suit United and, with interim Blues boss Rafa Benitez involved, there is a good chance of that, which, as Rafa would say, is a fact.

United will be hosting bottom club QPR, managed by United legend and sack race favourite Mark Hughes. Fergie will be most concerned with three points and returning the Old Trafford club to winning ways, even if it does put the final nail in Hughes's coffin.

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