Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made a late bid to convince Carlos Queiroz to stay at Old Trafford.
The Daily Star says Fergie is determined to hold on to his right-hand man and he is now attempting to talk Queiroz out of taking the Portugal job.
Ferguson is unable to offer Queiroz assurances that he will be handed the reins at Old Trafford when he finally opts to retire as manager.
But the Scot has made it clear to the Mozambique-born coach that he regards him as a vital cog after five years with the club and a huge influence behind United's Premier League and Champions League double success last season.
It appears that he now has the burden of trying to keep Christiano Ronaldo ad his assistant.
