Imagine Manchester United firing Alex Ferguson. Unthinkable? Not so, says the club's chief executive.

After two disappointing seasons, even the most successful manager in English soccer history isn't guaranteed of keeping his job.

"He is sackable," David Gill told BBC radio yesterday. "We live in a very pressurised sport. The pressure will be on next season and we wouldn't want that pressure not to be there."

Ferguson has been at Old Trafford for 18 seasons and, at age 63, is on a year-by-year contract. He has won more titles in English soccer than any other manager, including eight league championships, five FA Cups and one Champions League.

With Chelsea 11 points ahead in the Premier League with eight games to go, however, United appears certain to lose out in the title race. Man U also failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second season in a row.

The Red Devils have reached the FA Cup semi-finals and have a good chance of winning that trophy for the second straight year.

Gill said the club owners hadn't talked about firing Ferguson.

"It is not something that has entered our discussions at boardroom level," he said. "It would be detrimental to the club to make a knee-jerk reaction for not winning the league for a second season in a row.

"The manager's record is second to none, we still have a chance of winning a major trophy this season in the FA Cup, and we are very positive about the future."