Like him or not Sir Alex Ferguson is an institution in English football. Having managed Manchester United for 21 years now, he has recently just captured his 10th Premier League title with the club, an unprecedented feat throughout sport in general.

With such record-breaking success in the past, it’s interesting that earlier this year he hailed the current Manchester United as “the strongest squad” he’s ever had. “So much so I think I would be pushed to name my overall best team,” he recently told the Daily Mirror. With established, but still depressingly young, talent such as Rooney and Ronaldo joined this year by the likes of Carlos Tevez, Nani and Anderson, Ferguson is perhaps right to be so enthusiastic, especially when you consider that other squad members such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have been consistently part of the first team set-up for over a decade now. “This is a good young team coming together and they have great courage in the way they want to play. They want to win something and the signs are good. We have a great chance of doing that this season,” he continued.

But when in recent memory you’ve guided the club to an astonishing Treble (FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League) in 1999, is just winning “something” enough? And surely, if Ferguson believes his recent boast, that would mean that the current ‘07-‘08 Manchester United is better than the ‘98-‘99 team, who were undefeated for 33 matches and, out of every team they played that year in every competition, failed to beat only Barcelona?

Let’s cast our minds back to that wonderful pre-Millennium age then, where mobile phones were the size of pint glasses and the Spice Girls ruled the airwaves:

There’s no doubting the fact that it’s a phenomenal starting XI, but it was the team’s strength in depth that was the key to their Triple-Crown. People forget that for the epic Champions League final against Bayern Munich, midfield heavyweights Keane and Scholes were actually suspended, replaced on the night by Nicky Butt and Jesper Blomqvist, and that both goals were in fact scored by late substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. At the time, Schmeichel was by far the world’s best keeper, Stam an immovable rock in central defence, the Cole / Yorke partnership an unstoppable goal machine, and David Beckham truly was world class.

So fast forward nine years back to the future and what are we faced with? On paper it is frightening, and certainly good enough to rival any team in the world:

Although defensively robust and athletic, backed by an excellent keeper, the current mantra of Manchester United is “attack is the best form of defence.” Putting aside excellent holding players such as Hargreaves and Carrick, the midfield is bred solely to attack, with any front six chosen from Giggs, Scholes, Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani, Tevez, Anderson and Saha, good enough to rival anyone’s, even Barcelona. The pace, trickery, directness and interplay of all these players is the key to United’s success, and Ferguson now seems to be getting the best out of every one of them. As forward partnerships go, it doesn’t get any better than Rooney and Tevez, and with the goals now flowing between them, the future looks ominous for opposing defences. New arrivals this year Nani and Anderson look like astute signings as you’d expect, both still criminally young but capable of match-winning magic, and I don’t think there’s anything actually left to be said about Ronaldo; at 23 he’s simply the best player in the world not called Ricky Kaka’ or Lionel Messi.

Over the years Ferguson has harboured plenty more prodigal talent, but surely it must be against the Treble winning side that his current squad is measured, given that they set the still unsurpassed benchmark of European club dominance. The likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mark Hughes, Andrei Kanchelskis, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and of course Eric Cantona would all vie for places in an all time Dream XI, but in terms of overall squads, I would have to go along with Sir Alex’s assertion in saying that if ever he had a chance to match the 1999 Treble, it was with the pool of players he has at the club now. This year’s Champions League success was just his second with the club, perhaps not a good enough payback for winning so many domestic awards, but now the precedent has been laid for this squad who’s to bet against them pushing on next year and defending their European crown? Even if Barcelona and AC Milan are to replace half their team in the summer, can they hope to match United at their best? For all their possession and neat touches over two legs the underlining fact is that Barça lost, and to a United side playing some of their worst football of the year. It is a testament to the team’s earlier form that they were able to capture both the Premier League and Champions League while going through a real poor streak of form. This is the true defining characteristic of champions; not blowing teams away 6 – 0 when everything’s going for them, but finding a way to win 1 – 0 when it’s not. Scarily for the rest of the Europe, United seem capable of both with ease.

Knowing Ferguson too, this will not be a summer of self-congratulation and laurel-resting, but rather the perfect time to strengthen further given the clout of their success and the draw of the current squad. Sure everyone wants to play at Barça or Madrid, but how do you turn down the European Champions, and the chance to play alongside Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez? If anything that’s the true worth of winning the Champions League. It can create a cycle of success, and you can guarantee that now Ferguson has climbed that first peak once again, he won’t let this United team be toppled without a fight. Conjecture surrounding the purchase of Dani Alves and Luis Fabiano from Seville should be music to supporters’ ears, as this year’s success has been brought without a real right-back or a traditional centre-forward, if we’re honest. Fabiano’s goal-scoring record is sublime to say the least, and in Alves you have the reincarnation of Cafu, bulked up for the modern game and with a shot to make Roberto Carlos blush.

So things look pretty good for the future of United then, and for once the hyperbole is warranted. It will take a truly superhuman effort from someone to stop United winning another double next season; it was only really Chelsea’s resolve that the Premier League was as close as it was this season, and well, United are basically just built for the Champions League these days. As much as the Treble-winning side of 1999 were a product of their era, so too are the current side, and it the genius of Ferguson that he has been able to adapt with the times so impressively. During his 21 years in charge, the team and style of play have evolved spectacularly, but given the age and ambition of the current squad, the next two years could be the peak of Ferguson’s career, and truly assure the club’s place in history alongside AC Milan, Liverpool and Real as European Cup thoroughbreds.

Sniffing the Touchline is a monthly column about the utterly absurd side of the football game. It's written by Gavin Finney who does the blog of the same name.