David Beckham has hailed "father figure" Sir Alex Ferguson as the greatest manager in football, after the Scot announced his retirement on Wednesday.
The former Manchester United midfielder, who spent a decade under Ferguson at Old Trafford, said he would not have achieved such success without the 71-year-old's influence.
Beckham said: "As I have said many times before the boss wasn't just the greatest and best manager I ever played under he was also a father figure to me from the moment I arrived at the club at the age of 11 until the day I left.
"Without him I would never have achieved what I have done in my career. He understood how important it was to play for your country and he knew how much it meant to me.
"After '98 without the manager I would have found it virtually impossible to cope with the attention I was getting on and off the field and for this I will always be grateful to him for his support and protection.
"I am truly honoured to have been guided by the greatest manager in football and to have had the career that I had under him.
"Thank you boss and enjoy the rest!"
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who spent 11 years at United, also praised his former boss following the announcement.
Speaking to MUTV, the former United forward said: "I'm a bit stunned that the manager has decided that enough is enough, but I'm sure he thought long and hard about it and it's the right decision for him.
"The 14 and a half years I spent with the boss [as a player and coach] were the greatest of my career. I learnt from the best.
"He was a father figure for all of us - it's amazing how many players he has brought through the system. He has been an inspiration to everyone.
"Everything I do now as a manager is through the experience I gained from working with the boss."
After confirming Ferguson's exit on Wednesday morning, it is thought United wish to announce the 71-year-old's replacement by the end of the week.
Although Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has been tipped to take over in some quarters, Everton boss Moyes is the firm favourite to land what Gill describes as a "dream job".
"The qualities are the ones that have been inherent at Manchester United for many years," United's outgoing chief executive told MUTV.
"Our two most successful eras were with managers who got involved with all aspects of the club, from the youth team to the first team, to get that degree of loyalty and understanding of the football club.
"Clearly he has to have the requisite football experience, both in terms of domestic and European experience.
"It is a small pool."
Moyes' European experience is not extensive. He has only guided Everton through four European campaigns and never gone beyond the last 16 phase in any competition.
However, Ferguson has never had any doubts his fellow Scot was capable of managing at the very highest level.
And Gill confirmed Ferguson, and Sir Bobby Charlton - who has previously suggested Mourinho was not the type of character would sit easily at Old Trafford - would be asked for their input.
"No-one knows what managing Manchester United is about more than him," Gill said.
"The board will take his counsel and that of Sir Bobby Charlton in order to get the right person to take it forward."
Charlton would be acutely aware of the problems it caused - first for Wilf McGuiness, then Frank O'Farrell - when Sir Matt Busby remained active at Old Trafford following his retirement as manager.
The spectre of Ferguson is going to hang over Old Trafford for a long time.
But Gill is confident the Scot will not be a negative presence.
"Sir Alex will be a great asset to the club," Gill said.
"He will know when he should and should not be involving himself.
"Everyone can rest assured the new manager can get the space and opportunity to do his job without interference.
"Alex will not make that mistake. Of that we can be certain."
As Gill is also departing in the summer, it represents a significant test for new chief executive Ed Woodward.
"Ed Woodward has the opportunity to develop a relationship with the new manager," Gill said.
"I am sure he is capable of doing that for the betterment of Manchester United.
"Alex and I will still be there but on the football club board.
"It is a new era but I am confident the structure we have in place gives a great foundation for that relationship to happen."
McNamara left Partick Thistle in February to take over from Peter Houston at Tannadice, and helped the team to another top-six finish.
But his arrival on Tayside also gave McNamara the chance to assess his squad as he looks to make progression with United next season.
McNamara said: "Coming in when we did has been a good learning curve for us by getting the chance to see the players.
"It's better rather than just coming in now when the season is coming to an end.
"We've seen the players day-in and day-out in training as well as games. Now we know what we have to do for us to push on next season."
McNamara admits it will be the end of the present campaign before he makes a decision on the future of defender Marcus Tornstrand, who joined United on loan at the end of February.
"We'll sit down with the players at the end of the season," McNamara added. "Marcus hasn't featured as much as he would have liked. There have been different players playing in front of him in his position.
"We hadn't seen a lot of him before he came in and in terms of fitness as well, it was his pre-season. It's been a big ask for the lad to stake a claim right away."
