Will Sir Alex Ferguson Take His Final Bow After Title No. 19?

This season's race for the Premier League title has been the most interesting in years with the top team changing from week to week. This means that, come the final day of the '09/'10 season, one out of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, or Carlo Ancelotti will be lifting the trophy and will no doubt feel a massive sense of accomplishment after such a close race.

The big question for Manchester United fans is how long will Sir Alex stay at the helm? The celebrations after equalling Liverpool's 18 titles led many around Old Trafford to believe that he would not return for the current season, however, he is still displaying the same drive and ambition he did from the beginning.

Should United retain the title, it would be a record breaking year for the team, retaining the trophy for four years, surpassing Liverpool's outstanding record of 18 wins and edging one of the closest races in the Premier League's history. All of these would be a massive feather in a cap already full of plumage and so it could tempt the great master to hang up his trench coat.

Of course, this has been spoken about before, most recently after the 2008 Champions League win against Chelsea where many saw a great opportunity for Sir Alex to bow out at the top of his game.

This never really looked the case with the management team already looking to build a team for next season, this cannot be said to be the case this term as many will agree that money has to be invested in an ageing squad and any new manager would be given the funds to build their own team.

The big three of Neville, Scholes and Giggs have played a huge part in United's season and this over reliance on the old guard has been criticised by certain sectors. The young players coming through have looked shaky at times with Evans, Gibson, and Macheda, the names being groomed for greatness faltering on the big stage.

Big name signings such as Berbatov, Anderson, and Nani have failed to deliver in big games and the only players that have consistently performed in the big games are Fletcher, Park, and Evra.

This would send warning shots off to many managers that investment is needed and to get rid of dead wood. Certainly the Ferguson that has cut the cord on Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Stam, Veron etc. would not hesitate in a quick sale in order to find a new world beater.

The recent January transfer window should not be underestimated with previous winter signings including Vidic and Evra who have gone on to become heroes around Old Trafford, this season's January signing, Mame Biram Diouf, an absolutely unknown entity who does not seem up to the usual United standard.

There will never be strong enough signs that Ferguson will go until he makes the announcement, and it is unlikely that this will come as any less of a shock no matter how much speculation there is.

However, the nature of the man is that it has to be perfect and with a potential treble on the cards this season, a perfect opportunity to win the Champions League (and possibly come up against a Messi-inspired Barcelona) and the closest and most exciting Premiership in years, the markers are all there for the perfect send-off.