TIME stands still for nobody, not even for Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager is entitled to drink in every last drop of his team's historic achievement, but there are three years to go before he hangs up his wristwatch, and he is too shrewd an operator to be persuaded into believing that the success of today will inevitably breed more of the same tomorrow.
United cannot rest on their laurels. Their team is fabulous but not flawless, and constructive analysis will tell Ferguson and the United board that there are still a few pieces to be acquired before the jigsaw is complete. The likes of Barcelona, Milan and Bayern Munich will be making rigorous plans this summer to try to prise the Champions Cup from their grasp.
This is not the time for Martin Edwards to plead poverty. Reports that United are the world's richest club sit uncomfortably with the chairman's sulky response to the BSkyB takeover failure. And if they don't have the spending power to compete with their free-spending continental rivals now, when will they ever? Ferguson's office will be besieged by agents over the next few weeks as some of the game's finest players seek a place on the United bandwagon. Putting up the No Vacancies sign would be a dereliction of duty.
Money is available to replace Peter Schmeichel, but the reconstruction of United's defence should not stop there. Jaap Stam has developed into a colossal presence but still seeks a steady partner. If money were no object and contracts unbinding, Ferguson could solve this problem by signing Parma's Fabio Cannavaro or Lazio's Alessandro Nesta. Cannavaro's classy French international teammate Lilian Thuram is another attractive proposition.
We now know that Roy Keane is irreplaceable in the heart of United's midfield, but Ferguson must be rising fast to the temptation to field the Irishman alongside David Beckham in the centre. If so, a right-sided midfielder can be added to the shopping-list. Locating a player who crosses the ball as dangerously as Beckham is a task akin to raiding the Lost Ark, but the best alternative could be Portuguese international Sergio Conceicao, who enjoyed a tremendous first season with Lazio.
If Beckham stays on the right flank, there might be a strong case for Ferguson fortifying the centre of his team with classy Dutchman, Edgar Davids, or even taking the creative department to a higher plane with the signing of a Brazilian virtuoso such as Juninho or Rivaldo.
It is safe to assume that United's four main strikers will be in residence next season. The Andy Cole-Dwight Yorke tandem may have malfunctioned against Bayern, but their goalscoring record over the season speaks for itself, and what price Teddy Sheringham or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer drifting away from the trophy-hunting party now? Even so, it would take a strong harness to hold Ferguson back if a world-class striker such as Gabriel Batistuta or Christian Vieri became available.
Most of the elements are in place to take Manchester United on to further peaks of sporting triumph at home and abroad, but all successful clubs need to regenerate and evolve. United are no different from any other, despite the silverware they now so proudly hold.
