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Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the running of Bayern Munich as Manchester United prepare to start an unprecedented restructuring process.

Ferguson managed United's Treble Legends to a 5-0 victory over Bayern at Old Trafford on Sunday amid reports he is unhappy at not being consulted over the running of the club he managed for 26-and-a-half years.

Although Ferguson has served as a United ambassador in the last six years, his power has eroded after he anointed David Moyes as his replacement. That botched handover led to Moyes's sacking after just 10 months and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became United's fourth permanent managerial appointment in the last six years.

Ferguson has regularly cited Bayern as the benchmark for running a football club but there is not a football presence on the United board. The six Glazer family siblings - Joel, Avram, Bryan, Kevin, Edward and Darcie - sit on the board along with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, managing director Richard Arnold, chief financing officer Cliff Baty and independent directors Manu Sawhey, Robert Lewitao and John Hooks.

Bayern secured their seventh successive Bundesliga title last week whereas United have not won a championship in the wake of Ferguson's retirement.

"They’re a great club," Ferguson told MUTV about Bayern. "It’s a club run in the proper foundation of it. Former players who run it really, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinze Rumenigge, they run the club in the right way and they are always winning the league in Germany.

"They're a great club."

United hope to appoint a technical director before the start of next season and Darren Fletcher is considering a return to sit on an advisory board as part of the restructure.

Head of corporate development Matt Judge is tasked with negotiating transfers and new contracts with internal players and Woodward signs off any deals.

United great Paul Scholes, who retired at the same time as Ferguson, said earlier this year he 'didn't know' why former players were not involved more with the managing of United.

"It is a little bit strange, I think it was always the manager's idea that he would have us all involved in some capacity," Scholes said. "He went at the same time, we retired together the second time. I think in an ideal world he would have liked that but it didn't happen for a year or so and people got other interests.

"I always remember the last couple of years of his retirement he wanted us involved, he wanted us to get our coaching badges. He wanted us around the academy, around the club, but that never happened other than Nicky.

"Salford obviously took a big chunk of that, people went into different stuff. Gary went into management, Ryan is now at Wales.

"I think the manager always wanted something similar to a Bayern Munich or an Ajax where there is always ex-players there involved in the club, but it just has not happened. A lot changed at the club, obviously David Gill changed as well. It could have been different, it couldn't have been. I just don't know."