BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is ready to turn up the heat on Sir Alex Ferguson by plotting the downfall of Manchester United in the Carling Cup tomorrow.

Hughes has worked a minor miracle since succeeding Graeme Souness in the Ewood Park hot seat, transforming Rovers from relegation candidates into possible European contenders in the space of 15 months.

Now, the former Wales manager is hopng to further enhance his growing reputation by guiding the club to only their second major final in 46 years at United's expense, and Blackburn fans know that should he succeed then it is only likely to enhance his chances of succeeding Ferguson one day at Old Trafford.

Hughes was typically diplomatic when asked if he harboured ambitions of managing his former club at a recent press conference.

Publicly, the United legend has far too much respect for Ferguson to start touting himself for his job at a time when people are beginning to question the Scot's authority.

But, privately, you get the sense that Hughes would love to return and take charge of the Reds at some point in the future, and the excellent work he has done in his short time at Blackburn cannot have escaped the attention of the Glazer family.

"I don't think there's going to be a vacancy for many, many years," said Hughes, when pressed about the United job recently.

"Whenever a job like the United one is being talked about then people look around to see who might have some ties to that club and that's the reason, I'm sure, why I get mentioned because I'm a Premiership manager and I used to play for Manchester United.

"People, I hope, will think that I'm now proven at this level - I think I am.

"But, as for any thoughts on the job itself, it's not something that crosses my mind."

It's no surprise that Hughes is starting to be talked about as a possible successor to Ferguson because, in many respects, he manages in a similar way to his great friend and mentor.

When Ferguson first arrived at Old Trafford in 1986, he had to change the whole culture at United after standards had slipped under his predecessor Ron Atkinson.

His first job was to lift United away from the foot of the table, which he accomplished, but serious problems remained and the former Aberdeen boss tackled them head-on, weeding out the weak links and replacing them with men of substance.

He paid minute attention to every detail of club life, with his first to arrive and last to leave attitude, and that started rubbing off on the players.

In those early years, United were often dour to watch but, eventually, Ferguson began to put his imprint on the club and the Reds went from strength to strength under his leadership, dominating the Premiership in the 1990s.

Hughes, meanwhile, has been similarly single-minded in the way he has transformed Rovers' fortunes.

Last season, the Welshman inherited a side that was devoid of confidence and heading for the Championship, but he quickly set about changing the whole culture at the club, revolutionising the way the players prepared for matches and ushering in a new level of professionalism.

Like Ferguson's early team at United, Rovers were initially dour to watch but, gradually, Hughes has succeeded in putting his own stamp on the team and they are now beginning to earn rave reviews for some of their more recent performances.

Ironically, the catalyst for that was a 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford in September.

Before that, the national press had dubbed Rovers the 'bully boys of the Premiership', but that win at the Theatre of the Dreams suddenly got people thinking differently.

"That was the start of it," said Hughes.

"Up to that point, we weren't really talked about in glowing terms but the performance on that day, and obviously the result, started to change peoples' opinions.

"To be honest, we always felt the amount of criticism labelled against us was unbalanced, and wrong on many occasions, but the only way we were going to turn that round was by winning football matches.

"That's what we've been doing of late and that has helped our case.

"Now, people are actually making a point of watching our games and they are getting a different opinion, rather than forming one based on the views of others who possibly have a different agenda."

Hughes and Rovers now have the perfect opportunity to win over a few more friends as they prepare to face United over two legs in the Carling Cup semi-finals.

It's a contest that pitches together the master and his apprentice and if Hughes was to come out on top then it would only increase his stock as one of the Premiership's brightest young managers.

As for Fergie, if United do end up losing the tie, at least he will be able to console himself with the thought that he has played a major part in making Hughes the manager he is today.

"I was a player under him for many years and, while I don't think I've ever tried to be a carbon copy of anybody, some of the things I've picked up - either consciously or subconsciously - during my time with Sir Alex will come through on occasions," added Hughes.