Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has agreed a deal to become coach of Real Madrid for the next two seasons.

The former Portugal and South Africa boss swaps his role as right-hand man to Sir Alex Ferguson for the white heat of the Bernabeu following the sacking of Vicente Del Bosque, who has just led Real to their 29th Spanish title.

Speaking in his first press conference after his appointment, Queiroz stated: 'My aim is to continue the project that the president and his board are constructing.

'This is the most famous club in the world. They have built a great part of the story of world football and I am really looking forward to meeting the expectations of the fans.'

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez backed up Queiroz's statement and said that his new coach knew 'perfectly what Real Madrid is all about.'

'He understands that its fans are accustomed, not just to winning, but also to providing a great spectacle,' Perez said.

'He is a coach with the philosophy and qualities that respond exactly to the needs of Real Madrid.'

Queiroz was quick to thank Ferguson, who gave the go ahead for the move earlier in the day:

'He is a man of magnitude which is beyond comparison. After speaking to him, he is a real football person, more than that, he is football.

'He has some human qualities which are unknown. He has all of my respect and I have a lot of admiration for Manchester United. They are a great club.

'Without a man like Sir Alex I wouldn`t have learnt as much.'

Queiroz also insisted he had no fears about stepping into the limelight.

He continued: 'I'm not scared of following people like Ferguson and Del Bosque. They are great managers and have given me the desire to serve football.

'I hope God will allow me to show this with my service to Real Madrid.'

While the English champions lose a high-profile member of their coaching staff, manager Ferguson is unfazed by losing his second-in-command.

'This is a wonderful opportunity for him, too big a chance to turn down,' he told the Daily Mail.

'But we won't be in a rush to appoint a new coach. I have been very satisfied with the job that Mike Phelan [on United's coaching staff] has been doing.'

Intriguingly, Queiroz has been credited in some quarters as being the brains behind the tactical and formation switch that contributed to David Beckham's eventual departure from Old Trafford.

Queiroz now finds the England captain on his squad list, although it remains to be seen what influence he will carry on team matters as coach at Real, a club famously under the iron control of its president Florentino Perez.

After a modest playing career in Mozambique, Queiroz joined the Portuguese FA to take charge of youth development in 1987 and was credited with discovering Portugal's 'golden generation' of players like Joao Pinto, Luis Figo and Rui Costa.

Queiroz steered Portugal to victory in the 1989 and 1991 World Youth championships and went on to replace Artur Jorge as coach of the national team.

He stood down three years later after failing to take the team through the qualifying stages for the 1994 World Cup to become first team coach at Sporting Lisbon.

After two successful seasons at the Portuguese club he had short spells coaching in the United States and Japan before an unsuccessful stint in charge of the United Arab Emirates.

In 2000 he was appointed coach of South Africa, steering the side to qualification for last year's World Cup, but Queiroz never led his team into the competition.

He quit in March 2002 after watching his side lose 2-0 to Mali in the Africans Nations Cup and falling out with the team's technical director, Jomo Sono.

Three months later Queiroz signed a three-year contract with Manchester United to become Ferguson's assistant and he played a major role in helping the English side win their eighth premier league title in 11 seasons.

Former Red Devils midfielder Phelan is favourite to take over Queiroz's position at United, although Ferguson may still need to bring in a new face at some stage.

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