Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz could be appointed as the new Portugal manager in the early stages of next week after the chairman of the Portuguese Football Federation revealed he was optimistic of landing his man in the coming days.
Uncertainty over Queiroz’s future has gone hand-in-hand with Ronaldo-gate and United could now be struggling in their first Portuguese battle of the summer.
Noises coming out of Old Trafford this week seemed to suggest the club were confident of holding onto Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man.
However, Queiroz, who has been widely tipped as Ferguson’s eventual successor, is in frequent contact with his suitors and reports in Portugal claim he will hold make-or-break talks with United on Sunday.
"I am optimistic and I believe that we could close this subject soon,” FPF chairman Gilberto Madail told Lusa.
“I have spoken about mid-July but really those could be in the first days of the next week."
Director of the Federation Jose Peseiro was also quick to give Queiroz his seal of approval: “This a good news for Portuguese football."
If Queiroz was to become Luiz Felipe Scolari's successor it could spell bad news for United in their attempts to keep hold of Cristian Ronaldo, who is known to see his fellow countryman as a major factor in his own success with the club.