Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will retire if he wins the Champions League this season, it has been revealed. "Alex is completely focused on winning the European Cup for a third time," a close friend admitted to The Sun.

"He wouldn't thank you for calling it an obsession but that's what it is. And when he wins it, and he believes it will be this season or next, he'll retire a very contented man."

Should United beat Inter Milan tonight, Ferguson could be just five European ties from the end of his career.

Since the fiasco which followed his decision to quit at the end of the 2001 season, the 67-year-old has avoided discussing his plans to retire.

There is, however, a tacit understanding with United chief executive David Gill and the club's owners that he can leave his job at a day's notice.