Oman officially appoint new manager to replace former Sir Alex Ferguson assistant

For many, ex-Manchester United chief Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the best to ever manage in the Premier League. In fact, many apply that notion to the entirety of football history.

The fiery Scot arrived at Old Trafford in late 1986 and stayed until 2013 when he won his 13th – and final – Premier League title in style.

Ferguson is a name synonymous with the club’s illustrious modern history and is famed for his prolonged success in the dugout.

Thanks to the brilliance on the pitch, he was often granted utter control off it too – from transfers to the day-to-day running of the club.

That said, he’d be the first to step back and appreciate the behind-the-scenes work of his assistants, all of whom took great pride in rubbing shoulders with the 84-year-old on the touchline.

Throughout his lengthy stay in Manchester, Ferguson worked shoulder-to-shoulder with a total of seven assistant managers – from Brian Kidd to Mike Phelan.

Not many were as memorable as his assistant across two spells, Carlos Quieroz, who arrived to work under Ferguson in 2002 for a year before returning for a second stint in 2008.

After leaving in 2008, though, Quieroz forged a managerial career of his own but opted to take on jobs on the international stage, first taking on the role of Portugal manager.

His latest role – as manager of Oman – came to an end recently due to the ongoing conflict in the area.

And, as a means of moving on and preparing for the future, he Omani football federation have now announced the appointment of Tarik Sektioui as Quieroz’s replacement.

In an official announcement on X (formerly Twitter), they wrote: “The Oman Football Association announces its signing of Moroccan coach Tarek Al-Sektiwi to lead the senior national team during the upcoming phase.”

He will now take control in upcoming competitions and arrives with an impressive track record in his homeland of Morocco.

First appointed the coach of Morocco’s Olympic side in 2024, he later led the national team to the 2025 Arab Cup title in Qatar.

Sektioui’s first outing in charge will come at the end of March as Oman host Sierra Leone in a friendly – but Quieroz’s next move remains to be seen.

He’ll surely have shortage of offers given his experience on the touchline – from learning his craft under Ferguson to a one-year stint at the helm of Real Madrid.