Portugal Target Queiroz As Successor to Scolari

Carlos Queiroz, the assistant manager at Manchester United, was last night weighing up whether to leave Old Trafford after being offered the chance to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as Portugal's manager - a move that could have further repercussions for Cristiano Ronaldo's future.

Queiroz has often been described as a father figure to Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson was hoping his No2 would play a significant role in persuading the double player-of-the-year to resist Real Madrid's advances. However, the president of the Portugal Football Federation, Gilberto Madail, is understood to have flown into Manchester yesterday and to be determined to conclude a deal.

Madail has put together a deal worth an annual £1.1m but is likely to encounter stiff resistance at a time when Ferguson is not just indebted to Queiroz's work on the training ground but is also intent on doing everything possible to dissuade Ronaldo from trying to force a transfer.