Alex Ferguson has revealed that he has received a highly-lucrative job offer for when he steps down as Manchester United manager.

Ferguson would not say if the position would be inside or outside of football, but he claims it would be extremely well paid and would involve a lot of travelling.

The offer is one of many which have been made to Ferguson and he claims he is going to have to disappoint a few people.

"I've got a lot of offers already," he said in the October edition of the United Shareholder. "One offer I've got is really staggering.

"It would be a four-year contract for a huge amount of money and would involve a lot of travelling.

"I have to ask myself how much I want to do once I retire. I do want to protect some time, to be able to travel and so on.

"The way it's looking at the moment, I'm going to have to refuse a lot of people and just take on enough to keep me active and happy."

United are keen to keep Ferguson at Old Trafford in some capacity when he retires in the summer of 2002 and chief executive Peter Kenyon has offered him the job of overseeing the club's youth development programme.

Ferguson would like to remain involved with United while pursuing other interests, such as his work with UEFA.

He added: "I'd like to stay involved. I'll certainly keep going to matches and I'll carry on living in the area.

"I'll certainly carry on with the UEFA working party I'm on."

Ferguson repeated his intention to stand down as manager and he feels United may change the coaching set-up when he goes.

"They'll probably change it and probably have a first-team coach," he said.

"I just thought it was important to announce well in advance the point at which I would stop doing the manager's job and to allow the club to look ahead.

"In two years' time I'll have done 16 years at the club, which is a long time to be a manager.

Ferguson has also admitted he would love to buy Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Gabriel Batistuta - but knows he has no chance.

The trio top the Manchester United manager's wish list if he could have any three players in the world.

"The three best players in the world outside Manchester United are Zidane, Figo and probably Batistuta," he said.

"I still think Batistuta is a fantastic player. He's the most aggressive finisher in the game. He just thinks about scoring."

However Ferguson knows the chance to sign Batistuta, whom he courted for several years, and Figo has gone following their bigmoney summer moves.

He feels it may be possible to prise Zidane from Juventus, but he claims United are not prepared to pay the astronomical transfer fee and wages required to pull off such an audacious swoop.

"Batistuta is away to Roma and it's very difficult to get the Figos and the Zidanes with the money they earn," he said. "Zidane is at a very good club, Juventus, and I know it sounds daft, but they're great sellers. But you'll never get a bargain from Juventus."

Ferguson has often complained about the financial constraints placed on him in the transfer market by the club's paymasters.

He knows this is stopping him from bringing the very best players to Old Trafford.

He believes much of the problem stems from the club's status as a plc and the need to satisfy shareholders as well as fans.