That was the dilemma facing Alex Ferguson when the Frenchman stunned the football world by announcing his retirement at the age of 30, on this day in 1997. Manchester United had won the league title again but the close season would be spent pondering the options for somehow covering the loss of such an influential and iconic figure.
Was this the end of the Reds' domestic dominance?
Far from it, in fact, it took only a couple of years to not only do the Double but add the holy grail of the Champions League on top of it.