Even Sir Alex Ferguson cannot carry on forever. But when he finally does vacate the dugout, his legacy will live on in the sheer number of former Manchester United players who are managers.

It is astonishing, especially when you put it into context. Players at United under Ferguson who are top-flight managers? Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane. In addition, Ferguson’s son, Darren, is doing well at Peterborough United in Coca-Cola League Two and Paul Ince has taken Milton Keynes Dons to the top of that table on the back of nine straight wins.

Where are the former Liverpool and Arsenal players? What is it about Ferguson that inspires his charges not only to go into management, but to be a success? The greater proportion of former United players cannot simply be because Ferguson has been around so long. It is a reflection on his brilliance as a manager and the kind of characters who formed his teams, the players he bought, nurtured and moulded.

Great players and great managers share certain qualities: ruthlessness, leadership, bravery, knowledge of the game, a willingness to trust their instincts and to be decisive. A talent for producing at key moments. But that was true of the enormously successful team at Anfield in the 1980s and they did not translate victories on the pitch to the dugout.

Take that Liverpool team of the late 1980s. Go through the squad and plenty tried their hand at management. Mark Lawrenson, Jan Molby, Nigel Spackman, Steve McMahon, to name a few. But none with much distinction, or for very long. You have to go farther back, to the late 1970s and early 1980s, to Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness.

The Arsenal back four under George Graham had experience, authority and excellence, while Arsène Wenger has been in charge for a decade. The fruits? David O’Leary reached the top level, but Tony Adams was a flop at Wycombe Wanderers and is now the assistant manager at Portsmouth. Paul Merson did not last at Walsall.

It is not unusual for top players to fail when they take charge of lower-league clubs. They become frustrated dealing with less skilled footballers. It is hard to see the present crop of stars wanting to begin their managerial careers down the ladder, like Ince – if at all. They are so rich they do not need to work. Most will decide that it is not worth the stress. Foreign players will return home rather than manage Macclesfield Town or take up a coaching role with Colchester United.

Of the present United squad, Gary Neville is an obvious candidate to graduate to management. Paul Scholes, quiet as he is, could do it and Nemanja Vidic. As for Liverpool, Jamie Carragher without a doubt. He has a huge desire to learn about the game - and not only his role as a defender. He watches match after match, like a connoisseur. He is sensible, aware of his limits and has bettered himself through sheer hard work.

Carragher will be learning from his manager, Rafael BenÍtez. At the moment, about what not to do: such as substitute Steven Gerrard at a vital point in a Merseyside derby. Despite Carragher’s joy at the final whistle in Liverpool’s match against Everton on Saturday, the excitement, the buzz around Liverpool at the start of the season, is evaporating. Liverpool have been riding their luck for a while and only that late winner saved BenÍtez from some serious criticism from a fan base that is growing concerned. The manager’s stubborn refusal to stop rotating players so wildly is working against him.

However, BenÍtez got away with taking off Gerrard. That is another valuable lesson for a potential future manager: that the line between genius and idiot is wafer-thin. All credit to Ferguson and his protégés for making it seem that bit wider.

Daft Drogba should not be taken too seriously

Chelsea fans should not take what Didier Drogba says too seriously. He is just a daft footballer. Next week he will probably be kissing the badge and demanding a new five-year deal. I can understand sadness when a well-liked manager goes, but tears in the dressing-room? Give me a break.

Tougher tests looming on the horizon to examine Arsenal’s championship potential

It looks as if we are heading for that old favourite, a Manchester United versus Arsenal title race. United are firing on all cylinders now their forwards are back. Arsenal? Yes, they are top, but I am yet to be convinced that they are championship material. They have not faced the big clubs yet and against Tottenham Hotspur gave up an alarming number of chances. I want to see them come through like the England rugby union team did until Saturday – when the match is in the balance in the final ten or 15 minutes, when it is do or die. But the tests are coming. Away to Liverpool next, then home to United, we will find out if Arsenal are for real.

O’Leary’s TV return just a happy coincidence?

I turn on the television yesterday and there is my old friend David O’Leary. Haven’t seen him for ages, but now he is back in the spotlight for some reason. Nothing to do with the fact that Steve Staunton is about to be dismissed as Ireland manager and O’Leary has not got a job.

sport@thetimes.co.uk