A LOT of doors could be opened into Europe if Guernsey and Jersey ever decided to combine to form a Channel Islands football team, believes Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton. Although he had never heard of the possibility of the island following the likes of San Marino and the Faroes into European competitions he suggested the competitive nature of the two islands could prove to be a stumbling block.

‘If they are the Channel Islands it would open a lot of doors. Why not? If it’s an ambition there is certainly more likelihood if the two got together,’ he said.

The survivor of the Munich disaster now holds an ambassadorial role for the club and sees no reason why Guernsey cannot produce another player in the Matt Le Tissier mould.

‘You never know where good players are going to turn up – you have to make sure none gets out of the net. They have to work on techniques and not sit at home and play computer games. Why should there not be a player from here?’

He has visited Guernsey twice with his soccer schools and Jersey with the first team many decades ago and was flattered to be invited over by the Kraken Group for a book launch.

‘It was a fantastic night – we have friends and my daughter has friends here and they all love it.’

Charlton believes manager Sir Alex Ferguson is probably irreplaceable but would not be drawn on whether the club might go for the likes of a former player in Roy Keane, Mark Hughes or Steve Bruce, or a foreign successor.

‘He is an unbelievably talented manager. What he has done at Manchester United is remarkable. He will be very hard to replace but we are not worried about that at the moment. He seems quite happy and he can stay as long as he wishes,’ he stressed.

‘He is the manager of the club for the foreseeable future.’

Charlton insists United have as much chance as anyone of retaining the title with their decent start.

‘August and September are important and you can be out of the race. It’s a long slog – it’s a marathon and you have to pace yourself,’ he said.

He envisages Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will again be rivals for the title but insisted teams like Manchester City and Aston Villa are performing a lot better.