As for this season, it certainly looks like the current champions could be crowned the Premier League frontrunners yet again. Sir Alex Ferguson’s highly impressive squad will be a tough test for any team that faces them, especially so with strikers such as Javier Hernandez.

In Hernandez’s first season at Old Trafford he capped a total of 45 appearances along with 20 goals, which is an incredible stat considering it was his first season in one of the more tougher leagues. All Manchester United fans and football fans alike should expect even more from the Mexican international Javier Hernandez this season – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he won the top scorer accolade for the Premiership season of 2011-12. Look out for him in the betfair champions league fixtures where he is also set to succeed.

In conclusion to the title, Manchester United certainly have what it takes to win the Premiership this season. They’ve got an excellent squad managed by one of the best managers to date and it’s hard to see any other club coming close.

David de Gea joined from Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid for a fee thought to be in and around the region of £18 million – a hefty price tag for a somewhat unproven goalkeeper. So far in his Manchester United career he has made 3 appearances and conceded 3 goals – 2 of which should have been easy saves for the youthful stopper. To me de Gea looks to be a little shaky, his positioning is a tad off at times and he’s not the typical build of a goalkeeper – which in turn makes it difficult for him to defend set pieces. Only time will tell as to whether de Gea will be a hit at Old Trafford.

Last night, Danny Welbeck’s performance for Manchester United against the injury-ridden Tottenham was outstanding. He managed to net a goal with a highly skillful assist to boot. Last season Welbeck played for Sunderland and he captivated the Black Cats by making 28 appearances and scoring 6 goals. Various sources had suggested that Welbeck was to be loaned out for another season. But this was not to be as the England international currently features in Sir Alex’s first team plans. Those who like to bet on football will want to keep an eye on this one.

Tom Cleverley is another one of Ferguson’s youthful players that have finally made it into his first team. Last season saw Cleverley impress Wigan fans by making 25 appearances and scoring 4 goals. Early in his Manchester United career Cleverley has mesmerized fans with his incredible passing and his ability to ghost past players. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United look to be strong contenders for this years Premier League title and the Champion’s League trophy.

But even I was surprised by his latest comments regarding the state of the game and how it’s driven by money and greed.

“Football is only about money, and I don’t like it,” he grunted.

“There are so many agents with really young footballers. It’s awful, as these young players are not interesting in winning titles, they only want money.

It seems the irony of his words were lost on him. Tevez left the biggest club in the world to go and play for a team that has not won a trophy for a three and a half decades. To hear him talk of values and greed is like being told you’re a bit of a druggy by Pete Doherty.

He has joined the mercenary ranks of Manchester City and taken the massive pay cheque that came with it. But he’s also taken on the burden of playing for a club that are perennial losers and the stress continues to show.

He has repeatedly spoken of his desire to retire from football early and go back home to Argentina.

“Today, the young players have no education at all, and I don’t want to listen to them. When I played in Boca, when [Martin] Palermo or [Juan Roman] Riquelme talked, I listened to them. So I don’t want a young player to tell me ‘why did you do that?’ in the dressing-room. I would punch him, as I have won 13 titles in my career.”

Not wanting to communicate with idiotic footballers who make career choices based on salary offers rather than trophy winning potential is an admirable quality to have, but not when you’re too dense to realise your own hypocrisy.

The commonly accepted opinion is that Rooney was after more money. Simple eh? Makes perfect sense. However, one rumour doing the rounds is that the whole episode was a cleverly constructed ploy by Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson to get the Glazer’s to put their hands in their pockets.

By questioning the ambition of the club and its ability to attract the biggest names in world football, Rooney gave Sir Alex the ammunition he needed to go to the Glazer’s and demand money for a big name signing in order to please Rooney and get him to sign on for five more years.

Could it be that Sir Alex has now been promised a larger transfer kitty in order to improve the squad next Summer? It’s a crazy theory in all honesty, but if true, who would you realistically like us to sign and why?

The midfielder has spent two years recovering from double knee surgery and was finally given the green light to don the Manchester United shirt again today, but an apparent hamstring injury has forced him off the pitch after just 4 minutes.

There was always going to be an element of risk after such a long time out injured, but 4 minutes is ridiculous and must surely spell the end for Hargreaves’ career at Old Trafford.

He’s a fantastic player when fit, but unfortunately for him and for us he is never likely to be fit enough to play for us again and it’s probably best if he retires rather than risk crippling himself, which is a distinct possibility given his track record.

A hard decision has to be made by Sir Alex Ferguson and I sincerely think this is the end for his career with United.

The interview follows on from one he made in February where he remained complimentary about his life at Manchester United.

Could it be that Jose Mourinho takes over from Ferguson when he retires and brings Ronaldo with him? Only God knows.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_QdtWWxkU

The Scottish midfielder has scored just twice in 50 Champions league appearances for United, but hopes Sir Alex Ferguson playing him further forward will allow him to increase his goal tally. However, he is also aware of his defensive responsibilities and the importance of playing tactically away in Europe.

“Sometimes you have to be a little bit selfish,” Fletcher said.

“When I am on the field I tend to think ‘can I attack’ and concentrate on being disciplined and organised.

“You are well drilled at Manchester United. You are made aware of quick counter-attacks and the need to get back into position.

“It is important you react when the team loses the ball. But it is a fine balance between that and being brave enough to get yourself into the box and creating scoring opportunities.

“When I was younger I scored a lot more goals so my first target is to get to five and take it from there.

Fletcher admits all of United’s midfielders are trying to improve the number of goals they contribute to the team.

“All the midfield players are trying to step up their goals ratio.

“Nani has really come to the fore this season but he is just part of it. All the midfielders should be capable of getting their fair share and that will help the team as a whole.”

The former Fulham defender has enjoyed a successful start to his career at Old Trafford and has seemingly moved ahead of Jonny Evans in the heirarchy. Growing in stature with every game he plays, Smalling says Vidic and Ferdinand have been instrumental in his development.

“The likes of Rio and Vida have been brilliant,” said Smalling.

“They help guide you through games and I am learning from them all the time.

“They deserve credit too. They have really helped me to settle in and my confidence is sky high at the moment.”

He also admitted that it’s great to receive praise from manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“It has been great to hear those words from the manager,” Smalling said.

“For him to be saying things like that feels brilliant. Hopefully I can repay the faith.

“I just want to get more games under my belt and kick on from here.”

The former striker is currently working as United’s reserve team manager, but admits he has ambitions to one day manage the first team.

“I want to manage in England of course. I want to be manager of Manchester United, but you won’t go from being reserve team coach to head coach there – that only happens in Barcelona,” Solskjaer said.

“I’m gonna have to leave United at some point, and I have ambitions, but I also have to balance it with my family life.

“In football you develop feelings for certain people. That Kjell Inge hired a private jet to help me get to England counts for a lot.

“I have loyalty to Manchester United and Fergie, but I also owe Kjell Inge and Molde.

Ole also states that his commitment to United is dependent on the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, and admits that if Fergie were to retire, he may seek pastures new.

“My job there depends on him, to put it that way. If he hadn’t still been managing United, I wouldn’t be there either. We have a very good relationship, and I enjoy working under him. I’ll stay there as long as the Boss is still in charge, that’s the plan.”

The visitors started the game poorly and it was a theme that was set to continue throughout the 90 minutes. Sunderland pressed the ball high up the pitch, not allowing United to build any rhythm and probably should have won the game.

Bolo Zenden came closest in the first half after striking Edwin Van der Sar’s post. United barely got near the Sunderland goal, let alone test the goalkeeper.

United were on the back foot for the majority of the first half with Sunderland chasing down every loose ball, getting there first to every 50/50 and generally having more drive and determination than a United side that’s possibly still suffering from a tiring European away game in Spain.

Sir Alex Ferguson will have been delighted to take his side in at half time having not conceded.

Berbatov replaced Owen for the second half after the former England striker failed to make an impact on the game, though in his defence he got no service from midfield or out wide.

United were improved for small periods but Sunderland remained the better team and carved out clearer opportunities, which thankfully they spurned.

The introduction of Hernandez late on triggered a minor United fightback and some good interchanges with Berbatov, but United were soon retreating once again as the home side continued to dominate.

The closest United came to scoring was a late strike from Berbatov that went just past the left post, but in truth we were lucky to come away with a point, never mind three.

Credit to Steve Bruce and his Sunderland team who were the much better side on the day. Now it’s time for Sir Alex to address the issue of our away form and the problems in midfield.

Sunderland haven’t beaten United since 1997, but Steve Bruce will be hoping star striker Darren bent can fire his team to a win today, particularly against United’s unusually leaky defence.

Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Valencia are all missing for the reds, while Rooney is not expected to be risked, despite telling Ferguson he’s ready to play.

Anton Ferdinand is doubtful for Sunderland with a hamstring strain, while Fraizer Campbell, David Meyler and John Mensah miss out through injury, and on loan striker Danny Welbeck is ineligible to play against the club that owns him.

Steve Bruce will hope to finally get one over on his former manager after after 15 failed attempts, and Sunderland’s recent form will give him hope. After beating Manchester City in the league, they can consider themselves unfortunate not to have taken six points from their games against Arsenal and Liverpool.

The return of Rio Ferdinand in Wednesday’s Champions League game appears to have sured up United’s defence, and Michael Carrick‘s presence in front of the back four will give United extra protection in midfield.

The continued absence of Wayne Rooney has been compensated by the splendid form of Dimitar Berbatov. His brilliant hat trick against Liverpool a sign that he’s finally found the form that first attracted Ferguson’s attention and prompted him to spend £30million to bring him to Old Trafford.

United are still to win away from home this season after disappointing draws at Everton and Fulham. Conceding late goals has been a pattern in United’s play so far this season, but a clean sheet on Wednesday against La Liga leaders Valencia could be a sign that the back four have finally got their act together.

What first looked like an exciting tie failed to deliver as both teams struggled to get their passing game going in the early stages.

United’s midfield was struggling to keep possession with the absence of key players Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia, but the unusually leaky defence looked to have been sured up with the return of Rio Ferdinand in central defence and Rafael to replace O’Shea.

The commentator likened it to a chess game on the television and it was just about as dull as that in the first half, with neither team having a meaningful shot on target.

United’s only threat on Valencia’s goal was a speculative effort from 30 yards by Dimitar Berbatov, but it didn’t trouble Cesar.

Valencia upped the pace in the second half and started to get more joy from the wings. Miguel and Pablo Hernandez both caused problems and created opportunities for Roberto Soldado with excellent crosses that United’s defender struggled to deal with.

United were on the back foot when Sir Alex sent on first Hernandez and then Macheda, and it was the former who almost opened the scoring when he met Nani‘s exquisitely chipped cross at the back post. He was unfortunate to see his effort bounce off the post and out for a goal kick.

The substitutes combined moments later to win the game. A great run by Nani down the right wing saw him able to play Macheda through, who in turn pulled it back for Hernandez who controlled it well and fired a low shot past the helpless goalkeeper.

It was possession football from then on as United sought to run down the clock and get their first win in this seasons Champions league on the board.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be pleased with the result but concerned about the performances of some of his key players. With Rooney and Scholes out injured for 3 weeks and 10 days respectively, and Valencia possibly out for the season, he will be hoping for the rest of his squad to step up their performances and compensate for their loss. On today’s evidence, he’s got some work to do to motivate the players to get back to their best.

Still, an away win in the Champions League against the La Liga leaders who have an excellent home record is not to be sniffed at, and there are certainly some promising signs from Hernandez to signal that he has a bright future at the club.

Nani‘s brilliant solo goal and substitute Michael Owen‘s headed effort saw United come from behind twice in a game they dominated.

United dominated from the opening moments of the game but were behind after 6 minutes after poor defending from Jonny Evans allowed Zat Knight to nip in front of him and steer Martin Petrov’s corner past Edwin Van der Sar.

United replied with constant pressure on the Bolton goal and Nani equalised for the away side in the 23rd minute. The Portuguese winger dribbled form his own half and as the bolton defence backed off him he drove through them and fired a low shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Rooney was cutting a frustrated figure up front, but his team mates have right to feel equally frustrated with his performance as the troubled striker continued his poor run of form.

The sides went in level at half time with Manchester United in the ascendancy but not really troubling Bolton’s defensive setup.

Federico Macheda came on for Rooney in the 60th minute and the England striker immediately applied an ice pack to his left ankle.

The young Italian made an immediate impact on proceedings, laying a clever one – two with Dimitar Berbatov whose shot was saved by the Bolton goalkeeper.

Despite United’s dominance, it was Bolton who took the lead again after Martin Petrov started and finished a brilliant counter attack. The Bulgarian played a cross field pass to Lee Chung-Yong and then made up the ground to get on the end of Johan Elmander’s pass and fire Bolton into the lead via a deflection off Darren Fletcher.

Sir Alex Ferguson responded by bringing on Michael Owen, who scored with his first touch to bring United level. Nani’s curling free kick was glanced in off the post by the former Liverpool player, which prompted chants of “michael Owen is a red, he hates scousers” from the travelling United fans.

United pressed for the winner but struggled to penetrate Bolton’s tight defence. And as they time wasted their way to a point they scarcely deserved, Sir Alex will be disappointed not to have capitalised on yesterday’s shock results in which both Chelsea and Arsenal were beaten.

The Chilean forward is regarded as one of football’s brightest talents and has been linked with a host of top clubs in the past.

“We have looked at Sanchez and he has impressed us, as have other players,”Ferguson said.

“He has had very good games and is an interesting project.

“We have gathered some background, as with other footballers at his level, but nothing more than this – for the moment.”

The Arsenal manager made an unbelievable boast to the press yesterday, claiming to be better at developing young players than Sir Alex Ferguson.

“If you reproach me for not buying players, well if I buy players, Jack Wilshere doesn’t come out, so you cannot have everything. I’m long enough in the job to have a development policy to educate the players and the most difficult is to stand up for it and play them.”

One wonders if he’s watched United play recently, with many players taking to the pitch that have played their entire careers at Old Trafford.

“There is nobody else in the world[better than me]. Take the list of the players who started here. Johan Djourou, where has he started? Here. Senderos, where has he started? Clichy, where has he started? Gibbs? Where has he started? Fábregas? Where has he started? Song? Where has he started? Diaby has basically never played before at the top level. Ashley Cole. If you go back, it is unbelievable the number of players who started at this club.”

Some might argue that Fabregas started his career at Barcelona and would always have developed into a world class player, but if Wenger is taking credit for his development then Sir Alex can claim credit for Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and a host of other top players around the world.

The difference between Wenger’s kids and Fergie’s kids is that Fergie’s have won many trophies at United. Whereas Arsenal haven’t won any silverware since 2005, United have collected three league title, the Champions League and a host of other trophies that Wenger’s players can only dream about. Instead of gambling on young players who rarely make the grade, he should head over to http://skypoker.com where he’d probably have more luck.

The real comedy was in Wenger’s list of players though. Djourou and Senderos? That’s the equivalent of Fergie bragging about developing Paul McShane and Liam Miller.

“When I arrived nearly all their team had started [at United]. Not recently,” Wenger babbled.

Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea, Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans would all disagree with this comment, as would many other youngsters who have promising careers at Old Trafford.

I’m not sure whether it’s just delusion or downright lies, but Wenger doesn’t come close to Ferguson in terms of man management and helping players reach their potential. For a recent success story see Nani, who provoked jeers everytime one of his tricks went wrong last season, but is now considered one of the first names on the team sheet after scoring 6 goals and assisting 18 in his last 24 games.

I’m sure Arsene Wenger feels the need to defend himself after going for so long without a trophy, but the myopic gimp should have a good think before making such ridiculous claims in the future. Instead, he has joined a growing list of managers, including Kevin Keegan and Rafael Benitez, who have lost their marbles whilst trying to compete with the greatest manager the world has ever seen.

It was thought that Ferguson was scouting Valencia ahead of the next Champions League game, and assistant manager Mike Phelan backed up that view.

“Valencia have started their season very well and it was important after the draw with Rangers that we got a good view of them.

“The manager chose to go and watch the Valencia game. We need to go there knowing what we’re up against. He’s the manager and he had to make a decision.”

However, a picture in the spanish press shows that Ferguson travelled with United’s goalkeeping coah Eric Steele, which may be a clue as to his real intentions.

Reports in January linked united to Atletico goalkeeper David De Gea, and if I was a betting man, like those at Sky Vegas, I’d say that Ferguson attended last night’s La Liga game to scout the young goalkeeper.

With Edwin van Der Sar close to retirement and Tomaz Kuszczak threatening to look elsewhere if he doesn’t get first team football, Sir Alex could be looking for a new man between the sticks for the next few years.

The criticism centred around the fact that Sir Alex had signed Bébé without seeing him play, and came from journalists who ironically labelled the player a “flop”, also without seeing him play.

The youngster will have the chance to prove his critics wrong tomorrow evening though as Manchester United take on Scunthorpe at Glanford Park.

“A lot of my young players will play. Bébé is training very well, he’ll be involved tomorrow night,” Ferguson said.

Bébé himself appears very confident of his own ability ahead of tomorrow’s game, but warned fans that he’ll need time to adjust to the pace of the game in England before we see his full potential.

“I am going to be a brilliant player for Manchester United,” he said. “After a couple more games I will be better. I have to be fitter because it’s a different type of football in England.”

“I can play on both sides, on the left and the right,” Bébé said. “It doesn’t make any difference which side.”

The winger went down after a nothing challenge, but the way Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot instantly called for help, it was clear something was seriously wrong.

Ferguson says it is similar to the injury Alan Smith suffered against Liverpool, a break and a dislocation, and that the player will most likely miss the rest of the season.

“It is a dislocation or a fracture and he gets operated on tomorrow morning [Wednesday],” Ferguson said. “It was an innocuous challenge but when you saw the Rangers player waving, you knew it was a bad one.

“It is a bad blow for the boy. It is similar to the injury Alan Smith got and you are talking about the rest of the season.”

Valencia’s team mate Darren Fletcher is hopeful he can make a speedy recovery.

“Hopefully the scans show it is not as bad as we fear. After arriving from Wigan he had a great first season and was looking to push on this year. That is why the injury is a real blow.

“He has only just got back from the injury he suffered at the end of last season too. He is a strong character and a good lad. He has real determination and works hard. He will be back I am sure. He will have a long future at Manchester United.”

Rangers defender Broadfoot said: “I’m not too sure what happened. I just slid in and looked round and his bone was sticking out. We tried to get the physio on to help him because you don’t like to see that.

“These things happen and hopefully he makes a fast recovery. I’ve never seen anything like that so close before. You see things like that on television and it’s not good but, to see it there in front of you, it doesn’t look nice and I just hope he recovers quickly.”

The United and England striker has been hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons recently, and Sir Alex believes it was the right decision to save Rooney from the abuse he would undoubtedly have received from Everton fans.

United could only manage a draw on Saturday, despite being 3-1 up with only minutes left on the clock. Some observers have used this to criticise Sir Alex for leaving his star striker out, but scoring 3 goals away from home and conceding twice in the last few minutes would suggest United’s problems are in defence, not attack.

“I left him out for the reasons I told you on Saturday and I am not going beyond that,” Ferguson said.

Asked if he left Rooney out as punishment for his off the field antics, Sir Alex said: “I told you what the reasons were for why he was left out and I am not entertaining any of that nonsense.

“No regrets. I did the right thing.” he added. “And I have no concerns about playing him tomorrow at all[against Rangers in the Champions League]. I don’t know if tomorrow will inspire him. He has a lot of experience behind him. But I do know scoring for England last week will have given him a boost.”

Chris Smalling partnered Jonny Evans in the centre of defence during the 3-1 win over Celtic, with the Da Silva twins, Fabio and Rafael, playing in the full back positions.

Van der Sar acknowledges that his main role is to play in net, but admits that he’s also partly responsible for helping the players develop for the future.

“The main reason why I’m here is keeping the goals out, of course. And probably the second thing is helping out with educating and making them aware of how to play, how to defend,” said the Dutchman.

A solid back four is the foundation behind every great football team and that’s what Van der Sar is hoping to return to this season, after United suffered with the loss of eight first team defenders at times last year.

“It’s nice when you’ve got experience or a back-four with you that have played a long time and at the moment a couple of players are still missing.”

He added that all four of the young defenders that played against Celtic in Toronto have bright futures at the club if they can force their way into Sir Alex Ferguson‘s starting line up for next season.

“The good thing for Chris [Smalling], who is new at the club, is to get a run-in, and Jonny has really come on very, very well, so I don’t think he’s lacking experience. And even the Da Silva brothers, Rafa played more than Fabio, but they are good players anyway.”

The midfielder knows how important it is to get off to a good start in the Premier League title race and is hoping players like Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra – who went out early with England and France respectively – can use the pre season to refresh themselves for the opening game against Newcastle.

“It is always difficult after a World Cup because the players who have been involved in the tournament have time off,” said Giggs.

“You just hope there is no hangover from the World Cup and everyone can hit the ground running. Hopefully our players will come back refreshed and we can get off to a good start.”

If you register with Bwin you can get odds of 13/5 on Manchester United winning the league, putting them second favourites behing champions Chelsea.

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that the players won’t suffer as a result of having a poor World Cup.

“I don’t expect a hangover. I think there’ll still be a bit of disappointment in the lad, the United boss said.

“I think all the players coming back from the World Cup who didn’t do well, who didn’t reach their expectations may I say, will feel that they’ve missed something.

“That’s because the World Cup’s only once every four years. That’s the horrible part of that tournament.

“We have several players who have come back very, very disappointed. We’ve Patrice Evra for instance, Wayne Rooney of course, and Nemanja Vidic.”

We’ve heard it all before – our players aren’t good enough. Whoever our best player happens to be is carrying the side, and we’d be mid-table without him. Our kids aren’t good enough. Ferguson is too tactically naive. We need three or four players to improve our squad or we’ll do well to finish in the top four. Whoever our last best player was hasn’t been replaced.

We’ve been linked to a large number of players in the summer, the majority of them attacking midfielders or strikers. Rafael Van Der Vaart, Edin Dzeko, Mikel Arteta, Joe Cole, Karim Benzema, David Silva and others have all been mentioned, and a lot of fans (and it seems, the vast majority of pundits) seem to think that Ferguson’s assertion that ‘maybe we’ll get one player in’ is hopelessly inadequate.

What these people need to realise, is that our squad is undeniably at least a good size. And when you have a good-sized squad, this means that when you buy another player, somebody has to leave. We have a vast number of strikers, with three established players in Rooney, Berbatov, and Owen, and four youngsters vying for first-team football in Welbeck, Macheda, Hernandez, and Diouf. Hernandez and Diouf are also both 22, and thus aren’t exactly the most youthful of youngsters.

In central midfield, we have Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Darron Gibson all in the first team. Out wide, Valencia, Nani, and Obertan, and of course Giggs and Park who can play in either role.

So if we do buy Benzema, then because we realistically have too many strikers anyway, this will cost one or two of our strikers the possibility of making it at the club. If we buy Van der Vaart, then the development of players like Gibson and Anderson will be compromised, and we can forget about bringing through some of our other exciting midfielders like Cleverley.

We have to ask – is this worth it? The list of established great players in their mid-to-late twenties that we’ve bought who have gone on to be Manchester United greats is as short as it is pretentious and French. The reason clubs place such importance on youth development is not to save money, but because if we do produce great players like Giggs and Scholes, then they are far more likely to stay at the club for as long as we like, and become more important figures in the dressing room, learning to gel over a long time, and becoming accustomed to our style of football.

If we sign Dzeko or Benzema, are we happy to sacrifice the careers of Manchester-born prospects like Danny Welbeck, or the obviously tremendous potential of Macheda? If we sign Van der Vaart, are fans happy with us losing one of Anderson or Gibson, players who are both unique within our squad? A lot of bad press has been written about these two players, but people appear to have a short memory, because Anderson has always consistently done it in the big games for us – he was arguably man of the match at Stamford Bridge this season – a quality that is rare in youngsters, and that bodes extremely well. As for Gibson, didn’t we all speak about the importance of goals from midfield in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure? He has proven his ability this season, and his all-round game goes far beyond his shooting.

Last season, we lost the title by a single point. I’d argue that there were two key reasons why we lost the league. The first was that we had a huge defensive crisis which caused us a lot of problems, but it would be ludicrous to suggest this is because we don’t have enough defenders – it was an insane injury crisis which is extremely unlikely to happen again. Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Fabio, Gary Neville, and even Edwin Van der Sar – none of whom are regarded as being particularly injury-prone, with the possible exception of Ferdinand’s recent problems – were all injured for the same period, but ask yourselves, which other team in the league boasts so many defensive options anyway?

If our first-choice back five is presumed to be  Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, then even if all were injured we could field Kuszczak, Rafael, Evans, Brown, O’Shea. Or a number of other combinations which are all superior to anything our rivals can put together. Chelsea‘s second-choice back four would presumably be Hilario, Ivanovic, Bruma, Alex, Zhirkov. Not bad, but which back line would you rather go into a tricky away game with? Arsenal have Sol Campbell as backup before they have to start playing midfielders in defence, and the laughably error-prone Fabianski as reserve keeper. Again, I think I know who’s winning there. And with the addition of Chris Smalling, we can be reasonably assured that nothing like this will happen next season.

The second reason that i’d argue we lost the league is because of Rooney’s injury. Now, one can argue that we became too dependent on Rooney very easily, but I have always been of the opinion that Berbatov, accompanied by a goalscorer, is a fine replacement for him against all but the toughest opposition – his partnership with Owen was arguably more effective than with Rooney, despite it’s rather obvious and outdated ‘creator-poacher’ blueprint. The problem was that we were unlucky in that Macheda and Owen were both injured at exactly the same time as Rooney, and that Berbatov is completely unsuited for playing the lone striker role. Once again, this is extremely unlikely to happen again, and once again, the problem will be alleviated by the addition of another player in Javier Hernandez, who has been nothing if not prolific. Add to this the fact that the team looked a lot more comfortable in Rooney’s absence after he had been missing for a few games, and I don’t see this as being anywhere near as much of a problem next year.

Despite all this, I do think that – surprise surprise – Ferguson may be right and that making one well thought-out signing might be the best way of going forward. I would argue that Rafael Van der Vaart, David Silva, or Joe Cole would be the best prospects for the same reasons – they all naturally offer something that we arguably lack – creativity in midfield. Perhaps a criticism of our midfield is that whilst we have players who can play defence-splitting passes (Scholes, Giggs), make driving forward runs (Park, Anderson) and score goals (Gibson), we do not, until these younger players develop, have anyone capable of doing all three. The players mentioned above are all capable of doing all three of these. And importantly, they are all also capable of playing on the left (David Silva is left-footed and has played here regularly for Valencia, and Van der Vaart and Joe Cole both play on the left for their countries), where we have limited options. In addition, Giggs and Scholes will play fewer and fewer games and retire soon, so this is probably the best area of the squad to invest in.

One might argue that this doesn’t entirely alleviate the burden of goals on Rooney, but for reasons I have mentioned before, and the fact that these players should bring more goals from midfield, I don’t think this will be a problem. Benzema would help that, but it is doubtful whether he and Rooney would ever be able to play together effectively, he has had a much poorer season than any of the others, and I haven’t seen any evidence that he can play well on the left, so loses out here too. If I had to choose, I think the most sensible option is Joe Cole. The reasoning is simple – he has something to prove, he won’t need any time to adapt to the premier league, we have seen him work well with Rooney, he is the oldest of the lot and would represent a stop-gap in the transition from our current players to our youngsters, and because he is free, we wouldn’t need to worry about recouping the money.

But whether we do or don’t, don’t believe the knee-jerk hyperbole – there is nothing wrong with this squad, and remember that when Ferguson casts his opinion on the forthcoming season, he is rarely wrong. We have heard the same old ABU wishful thinking foretelling our impending decline trotted out time and time again whenever we fail, so do what we always do – remember it, and save it for later on, to have a good laugh when our lads inevitably prove them wrong.

Foster has struggled to nail down a first team spot at Manchester united after a series of high profile errors saw him relegated to the bench, even in the absence of injured Edwin Van der Sar. He is expected to complete a £6million move to St. Andrews today after undergoing a medical.

Ferguson has decided to allow the ‘keeper to move on to seek regular first team football. However, he insists FOster is still the best ‘keeper England has got.

“We accepted the bid from Birmingham City simply because we knew how concerned Ben was about his future and I can understand that,” said Ferguson.

“I think most of that comes from his disappointment of not having played enough games to get in the England squad this summer.

“I still feel very strongly about this, that Ben’s the best England goalkeeper and I can’t work out why he wasn’t even considered simply because he didn’t have enough football.

“Sometimes your conscience does come into it and you have to understand a player’s feelings about it. Ben’s been a terrific servant for us, he’s been very unlucky with a couple of injuries he’s had with us last season and I think he deserves the opportunity to do better for himself.”

United took the title race down to the final day of the season, but Chelsea‘s emphatic win over Wigan Athletic sealed the title for the blues by a solitary point.

Sir Alex  is no stranger to new challenges, having previously overcome adversaries Arsene Wenger, Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho, and he will assess his squad again this Summer and prepare it for next season’s assault on all fronts.

“It was a disappointment but you can agonise over these things and I’m experienced to know you can’t win them all,” Ferguson said.

“What you try to do is recover from every defeat and try to regain the upper hand next season.

“It’s a challenge. A few years ago it was Arsenal, then it was Chelsea, and each time we’ve managed to raise the bar at our football club – and that is exactly what we are going to do next year.”

Ferguson says he is as motivated as ever to regain the title. And at 68 years old is showing no signs of slowing down.

“I’m at the right club,” he said.

“It’s easy to be motivated at Manchester United simply because of the great players we’ve had over the years.

“Also what drives me on is expectation. In the modern world, once you achieve some success, the next step is to deal with the expectation and it’s very difficult.

“But it’s a challenge and if you don’t want that challenge you won’t survive. And I’ve always accepted the challenge.”

The PFA Player of the Year wants a return to the treble winning side of 1999 which featured four top strikers. Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer combined to make history by winning the treble that year, and Rooney believes United need similar firepower if they’re going to challenge next year.

The champions look set to lose their crown today, where a win for Chelsea against Wigan at Stamford Bridge would see them win the title by 1 point, if United beat Stoke at Old Trafford.

“If we can bring in two big-name players in it would give us a good chance of getting the league back if Chelsea do win it,” he told The People.

“If you look at the team in 1999 that won the treble we had four forwards, all capable of scoring goals.

“Now there is me, Berbatov and Michael Owen. There is Federico Macheda too, but if we can get one more top forward in it would give us the right balance.”

Rooney’s thoughts will be echoed by the Old Trafford faithful, who feel Dimitar Berbatov has not proven to be worthy of his price tag. While the Bulgarian forward hasn’t been as a big a flop as many claim, he certainly hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, particularly when asked to lead the line in the absence of Wayne Rooney.

Federico Macheda will undoubtedly get more game time next season as Sir Alex Ferguson continues to oversee his development. And Mame Biram Diouf should get plenty of games under his belt too. There’s also new signing Javier Hernandez to come into the fold, while Danny Welbeck may also be in contention after returning from his loan spell. And Michael Owen rounds off the list, however it’s unclear how big a role he can play next season after undergoing surgery.

United are not short of strikers by any means, but Sir Alex may feel he needs a clinical proven goalscorer who can ease the burden on Rooney to win games.

The in form striker has spearheaded United’s attack this season, scoring 24 goals in the process. He has become crucial to United’s style of play and will be a massive boost to Sir Alex if he’s able to name him on the team sheet this Saturday.

Rooney aggravated an injury playing against Bayern munich a week ago, after defender Daniel Van Buyten deliberately targetted his ankle.

But Sir Alex insists the injury isn’t severe and is certain Rooney will be able to take to the pitch against City this weekend.

“It’s not serious and I think he will be ready for the City game,” Ferguson said.

The midfielder had previously played 45 minutes for the reserves last week, but will not play a part in tonight’s reserve game (now postponed anyway) as Sir Alex is looking to integrate him with the first team and see how he progresses.

His return could bring vital experience and depth to the squad in the title tun in.

“Owen won’t play for the Reserves tonight,” Fergie said this morning.

“He’s going to be training with the first team and we’ll see where that takes him. We’re keen to get him back involved because he’s an experienced player and will be a valuable addition for us in the run-in, when having a strong, fit squad is vital.”

The Manchester United boss saw his team win in the San Siro in February and will host the Italian giants in Manchester tonight.

Beckham started the first leg, but has not not made the starting lineup for Milan since.

“He has not started a game since the last time he played us,” the United manager pointed out. “I don’t know if Beckham will play. I haven’t got him down in my conclusions.”

Whether this is a ploy by the United manager remains to be seen.

The 18 year old, from Belgium, was reportedly scouted several times by United this season, and the final decision was made by Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after being impressed watching DVD’s of him.

Vermijl was allegedly banned from training with Standard Liege after they became aware of his discussions with Manchester United.

The English Champions will apparently pay 220,000 Euro’s to Standard Liege to secure his services.

More details as and when they arrive.

Rule Q17 in full, states that: “With effect from season 2010/11, all managers are required to attend in person and participate in post-match interviews held by or for the benefit of a UK broadcaster or radio broadcaster and failure to do so without just cause shall be a breach of these rules.”

Sir Alex has not spoken to the BBC since a Panorama programme which implied there were improper goings on between the club and his son Jason Ferguson, who was working as a football agent at the time.

Failure to abide by the new ruling could land Ferguson in trouble with the Premier League, who could impose sanctions on the Manchester United manager.

The Manchester United striker has struggled to force his way into Sir Alex Ferguson‘s starting line up this season, partly because of the form of team mate Wayne Rooney, and partly because the united boss has often opted to play a 4-5-1 formation with no room for a second striker.

“He is one of the best English goalscorers of all-time but if he doesn’t play, I cannot pick him,” the England manager told The Telegraph.

Only a few days ago I wrote 5 reasons why Michael Owen was a poor signing. Rightly or wrongly, his inability to break into the first team on a consistent basis has made it impossible for Capello to select him. And with Rooney showing no signs of ending his scoring spree, it looks as though Owen may be watching the World Cup from his settee.

With 27 goals already, Rooney is enjoying his most prolific season in a United shirt and is hoping his form continues to the end of the season. He did admit though that it’s frustrating being substituted when chasing a hat trick, but that he understands the manager’s reasons for doing so.

“I am just enjoying playing and scoring goals,” he told Sky Sports.

“Hopefully it continues but I have never really set targets.”

Asked if it’s frustrating to be brought off, he said: “A little bit but you can understand the manager’s thinking and I’ve no problems with that tonight.”

Rooney also praised fellow goalscorer Michael Owen, who scored United’s third after replacing Dimitar Berbatov. The former Liverpool and Newcastle striker has made just two starts since scoring a hat trick away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League, but Rooney still believes he’ll have a big part to play in the title run in and in Europe.

“It was a great run and great finish and I’m pleased for him because he hasn’t played a lot of football, especially over the last few months, but he showed what he can do.

“He’ll be a big player for us between now and the end of the season. We know what he gives to the team and he’s a great player for us.”

After missing out on last season’s Carling Cup final victory against Tottenham through illness, Rooney is hoping Sir Alex names him in his squad to face Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday.

“Obviously I missed it last year because I was a bit ill before the game so I didn’t play but hopefully I can play this year,” he said.

1. He isn’t playing enough

We were led to believe Owen would be used sparingly. His injury record over the last few years has made Louis Saha look like the Iron Man, so Sir Alex was expected to rest Owen’s aging legs as often as he could. The problem is he’s barely used at all. Since scoring a hat trick against Wolfsburg he’s found his way into the starting line up twice. That’s twice in 16 games. For a player Sir Alex expected would score 15 goals this season, he simply hasn’t been used enough.

2. He makes no impact off the bench

For a player touted as having “a goal in him”, he rarely makes an impact when brought on as a substitute. The ‘impact sub’ role has been his this season, with Sir Alex throwing him on towards the end of games because of his fox in the box abilities and a tendency to be in the right place at the right time. We haven’t seen this though. Apart from THAT goal against Manchester City in injury time at Old Trafford he’s been largely ineffective as a sub.

3. He doesn’t do enough for the team

Some of the top strikers in the world like Fernando Torres need not contribute anything to the build up play of attacking moves. Their ability to get themselves on the end of the move is what keeps them in a job and it more than makes up for their deficiencies in other areas. Michael Owen used to be one of those players, but not anymore. He contributes nothing to the build up play, and rarely finishes off our attacking moves. His finishing ability has been on show sporadically, but not often enough. An argument could be made that he’s not getting enough playing time, and it’s a point of view I happen to share, but you have to put yourself in the shoes of the manager who watches Owen in training everyday and if he isn’t seeing enough quality to put him in the starting line up then we have to trust his judgement.

4. The gamble failed

Ferguson took a risk in signing Michael Owen. His injury record has been bad over the last few years as I mentioned above, so anyone willing to sign him was putting their neck on the line. As it happened we signed him on a pay as you play basis, so the risk is relatively low in monetary terms, but it’s not risk free in terms of how it affects the team. You could argue that even if he scored no goals this season it wouldn’t matter as there was no transfer fee and no signing on fee, but you’d be wrong. What if signing Owen prevented us bringing in a better striker? If Owen wasn’t here, the chances are that Danny Welbeck wouldn’t have been sent on loan to Preston and he’d be our impact sub instead, gaining valuable game time and training with the senior team on a regular basis. Instead, he’s stuck in the Championship with Preston North End.

5. Fergie made a mistake

It’s rare, but it happens. From Kleberson and Liam miller, to Veron and the Djemba twins. Sir Alex has been known to make mistakes in the transfer market. Although it looks like Owen was signed with the best of intentions, it now appears that it was a mistake to sign him. Owen wanted to prove himself and break into the World Cup squad for the Summer in South Africa. Fergie wanted a decent back up striker for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov. For whatever reason, neither will be satisfied with the current situation. Barring an injury crisis of epic proportions, Owen has zero chance of boarding a plane with the rest of Fabio Capello’s men this Summer, and Sir Alex doesn’t have an able backup to Rooney.

Disclaimer: I’d be fecking delighted if this article was thrown back in my face in May after Owen scores the winning goal in the European Cup final. Unfortunately that’s very unlikely.

Sir Alex had texted Ronaldo to wish him a happy 24th birthday. The way he responded could give some fans hope that he may one day return to Old Trafford after realizing the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

“I got a text from him last week saying: I miss you so much’. sir Alex said”

“I’d texted him to say happy birthday. He was 24. And he said he missed me, and ‘thanks for all the kind things you’re saying about me.’ You appreciate things like that.”

The United boss has seen growing numbers of fans wearing the club’s founding colours at Old Trafford, but has until now remained quiet on the subject, but he has now chosen to comment on the protests, insisting, “It’s not a concern to me.”

“It doesn’t matter what colours they wear, they’re still supporting the one team. It just shows we have fans who care for the club.

“Every fan has a right to complain about what they think is right but we also have to run the club the way we think is the right way and I think we are doing the right thing with the club.

“The foundation of the club is just the same as it has been for the last few years.” (Except for the hundreds of millions of pounds of debt eh?)

“We have a good youth set-up, the first team are doing well and that’s what concerns me more than anything.

“Obviously there are fans protesting and we understand where it is coming from but we carry on with the football side of it.

“I’ve made my point to the supporters as long as it doesn’t interrupt or interfere with the progress of the team and I think they realise that too.”

In truth his comments are as positive as they could be. He can’t be seen to be actively encouraging the protests because the Glazer’s are his employers and it wouldn’t be a wise move, but at the same time he answered diplomatically and didn’t criticize the fans.

On the contrary his comment that “It just shows we have fans who care” is more than what was to be expected. In the past, Glazer protesters have been told to “f*ck off and support Chelsea“, so I’m just grateful he hasn’t said anything negative.

The green and gold campaign is getting more coverage in the national press, and the fact that the manager of the team has talked about it shows that we’re doing a good job. So keep up the good work, wear your green and gold and keep the anti-Glazer chants going.

The young right back was at fault on numerous occasions as Ronaldinho rolled back the years to produce some of his best form in United’s 2-3 win at the San Siro on Tuesday, but Ferguson insists he needs to experience games like this if he’s to develop into the player he expects him to.

“Ronaldinho has always had a great talent. His game dropped away for a year or so, but he is back to his best now and he was a handful for a young player like Rafael,” said Ferguson.

“The reason I played him was quite simple, though. Namely, that we have invested in a great future with him and we were not going to stop the rewards of that because we were playing AC Milan.

“He has to learn and, against Ronaldinho, he will have quickly discovered that this is the real world.

“He made some mistakes, but he won’t make them next season. He will eradicate those mistakes because the boy is an outstanding talent.”

The Serbian defender hasn’t played any of United’s games in 2010 and was also absent from the flight to Italy to play AC Milan.

The tabloids have used this to suggest he’s unsettled at the club and will seek a move to one of the Spanish giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona, but Ferguson insists there’s nothing in the rumours.

“It’s pure speculation. We get that from time to time and we just have to deal with it,” he told manutd.com.

“A lot of clubs want to buy our players. We want him to stay, of course. He’s a great player and one of the best centre-backs in the world.”

Vidic has trained with United for the last ten days, which seems to suggest the centre back’s problem with returning to the team are purely mental, but Ferguson insists he’ll be patient with him and bring him back when he’s ready.

“It’s a difficult one because Nemanja feels like he needs a lot of training,” said Sir Alex.

“He’s trained for the last ten days but still doesn’t feel ready to take part in any games. We must be patient with the situation and that’s what we are doing.”

The promise was always there after notching 15 assists in his debut season, but he suffered with ‘second season syndrome’ and struggled to make his mark in the 2008/2009 campaign.

After being given another chance by boss Sir Alex Ferguson he has really grabbed the bull by the horns.

With his dominating displays against Hull, Man City, Portsmouth and Arsenal, the Portuguese winger has given Ferguson a real selection headache and is likely to be a key figure in the run in for the title.

Nani himself is just pleased to be making headlines for the right reasons. Rumours of his departure from United haven’t helped, but he believes his recent performances have changed peoples minds and that he can play even better than he has already shown.

“I came to United because I wanted to impress and to make good stories. I didn’t want anyone saying when I left that Nani was at United but he did nothing,” Nani told MEN Sport.

“When I leave eventually I want the fans to remember me as a big player for the club. I want them to say that Nani did well for United. That is what I want.

“I don’t think people have seen me like that so far. But I am young. I have time on my side. We will see what happens over the next few years.

“I am sure there were some clubs who wanted to buy me in the summer. I am at the best club in the world so everyone wants to buy United players because they know we have quality.

“I never wanted to go. When you are feeling low and things aren’t going well, you do feel alone. There have been times like that. But I never thought about quitting and going back to Portugal.

“I am so happy here. The most important thing is to feel at home and I feel at home now. That is a good feeling.

“My form has been very good recently but I know I can do better. I will work hard to do that.

“I know everyone is surprised that suddenly I am the man who is playing very well. But I am so happy that everyone is speaking about me now.

“I think I have probably changed people’s opinions of me. That is very good. Players like to be in this situation. You want the fans to be with you and feel confident. You want to media to be writing good stories about you.

“Everyone in the club is giving me good support and telling me good things about me. This is all very good.”

Read the rest of his interview with the MEN here.

United put 5 goals past Portsmouth without reply, thanks to strikes from Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov, as well as two own goals.

The United boss believes patience played a big part in the result.

“We had a lot of pressure and possession off the ball but we were patient enough,” Ferguson said.

“That’s important when teams come and sit in the way they did here today. Portsmouth were there to make it difficult but we got the goal just before half-time.

“We went looking for goals and managed to get three more, the one from Berbatov was brilliant.”

United now head the Premier League table by a point, although Chelsea do have a game in hand against Arsenal today.

The England striker has suffered from inconsistency in the past, but has this season emerged as a consistent goalscorer, having netted 20 league goals already.

“Hopefully we are now seeing him mature into the centre-forward we always thought he would be,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.

“Young players develop in stages. I said last season that he was producing bursts here and there, scoring for four or five games and then having dry spells.

“But that’s what you expect from maturity. I think we are now seeing a more mature player.”

“Manchester United is a factory workers’ club. You have to respect that culture.

“It’s a club where we work hard. They will not congratulate you after each win. Sir Alex frequently says ‘Well done my son’ and that says it all.

“For them it’s normal when you play a good game.

“It’s normal to win the championship. It’s Manchester United.

“We don’t have the right to make mistakes.”

Evra admits that sometimes mistakes are made, but Sir Alex is quick to correct them with his famous ‘hairdryer’.

“I do what I have to on the pitch. I’m not like Ferguson’s son. But as soon as I’m not good, Ferguson will give me the ‘hairdryer’.

“That he gave me the captain’s armband is enormous.

“I am truly very proud to wear it. I didn’t want to let him down.”

He also admitted that the team do miss Cristiano Ronaldo and mercenary Carlos Tevez, but the rest of the team have stepped up to compensate for the loss.

“We miss Cristiano and Tevez but the real star at United is the team. With Cristiano we relied on him in certain games.

“Today we need to do a bit more each of us to to create danger for our opponents.”

The Manchester United left back was referring to the Carling Cup semi final victory over Manchester City and had the following to say.

“Sir Alex is a child. We saw it against Manchester City. He’s so passionate.

“He was jumping up and down like a child after that game.

“You could be forgiven for thinking he’d never won a game before!

“At 70, he doesn’t see himself taking it easy at home reading a book or watching TV. Personally I think that would bore him.

“I don’t think he will call an end to his career. As long as he’s strong he will carry on.

“He will stay until his last breath.”

The Champions will face Aston Villa twice. Once at Villa Park n the league and once at Wembley in the Carling Cup Final.

In between those games, they’ll travel to Italy to face AC Milan in the Champions League, and back to England to play revitalized Everton at Goodison Park.

The 5th and arguably easiest of the fixtures is at Molineux to play Wolves.

On the one hand, 5 consecutive wins would put them in a comfortable position in the league. They’d have got 3 away fixtures out of the way and could look forward to more home game in the title run in. A win in Milan would set them up nicely to progress to the quarter final of the Champions League and of course they’d have won the Carling Cup.

On the other hand, a couple of losses could severely damage United’s hopes of silverware. Any losses in the league would mean more ground lost to leaders Chelsea, although the gap was closed to 2 points last night as they drew with Hull City. A loss away to Milan would leave them needing a win at Old Trafford. While you wouldn’t back against United overturning a deficit at home, you wouldn’t like to bet against Milan scoring an all important away goal either. Losing to villa in the Carling Cup final could also strike a psychological blow to Ferguson’s men.

It’ll be a tough month for the champions, but if anyone can get through it you’d back them to.

Fixtures

Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Barclays Premier League
Aston Villa v Man Utd, 19:45

Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Uefa Champions League
AC Milan v Man Utd, R1, L1, 19:45

Saturday, 20 February 2010
Barclays Premier League
Everton v Man Utd, 12:45

Sunday, 28 February 2010
Carling Cup
Aston Villa v Man Utd, F, 15:00

Saturday, 6 March 2010
Barclays Premier League
Wolverhampton v Man Utd, 15:00

The midfielder has missed 16 months of football after undergoing double knee surgery to fix a recurring problem, and is alternating training with the reserves and the senior team.

“I would like to see him make the squad for the Champions League fixtures against AC Milan.”

“But we won’t rush him. We are being patient.”

“Owen is alternating his training with the reserve and first-team squads, working for two days and then resting a day.”

Ferguson admits Hargreaves’ mental state has a big part to play in his comeback, but is positive he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

“It’s a matter of him regaining his ­confidence and when he is able to train every day that will be the moment for him to return to match play.”

The Manchester United manager however, admits that Beckham’s return to Old Trafford with AC Milan will be like no other.

“No regrets. We move on,” he told Inside United.

“The only difference with David’s return to Manchester United compared with other players is that there will be a big media circus surrounding him when Milan arrive.

“He’s such a high-profile celebrity – not just a high-profile footballer – and we haven’t really seen anybody else return to the club in that situation.

“Our job is to concentrate on the football match and let the David Beckham media circus carry on – we know we’re not going to stop it anyway.”

The relationship between the pair was fiery at times, with Ferguson famously known for kicking a football boot at Beckham, causing a cut above his eye. but that’s all in the past now and it’s Ferguson that advised Beckham to move to Europe to regain his England place for the World Cup.

“I think I told him myself last year when I saw him before our game against Inter that he should be thinking about getting back to Europe if he wanted to go to the World Cup,” said Ferguson.

“And it looks like he might just get his wish now. He had a good spell with Milan last time, so it made sense to me to see him back there again.”

While some ex Chelsea stars like Jason Cundy and idiots like Darren Gough have defended him, most neutral pundits and journalists seem to be in agreement that Fabio Capello should strip Terry of the captain’s armband. Of course if he had any sense of decency he’d have resigned as captain when the stories broke. The man has no shame, but that’s another debate entirely.

Today we’re talking about his potential replacements. The only alternatives touted at the time Terry was appointed were Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard.

Rio is no stranger to controversy, after being handed an eight month ban for missing a drugs test in the 2004/2005 season. It’s hardly in the John Terry catalogue of shame, but it’s a dark spot nonetheless.

Gerrard is no saint either. In December 2008 he was arrested for assaulting a nightclub DJ for refusing to play a Phil Collins song. CCTV coverage showed Gerrard attack the man without provocation, but a jury somehow found him not guilty.

If Terry does indeed lose the captaincy, neither Ferdinand or Gerrard are being tipped to replace him. Instead, striker Wayne Rooney is at the top of many people’s lists to lead England to the World Cup in South Africa.

In recent seasons he has sacrificed himself for the Manchester United team, at times performing a thankless task out on the left wing for European away games, allowing Ronaldo to hog all of the limelight. But since the Portugueser moved to Real Madrid in the Summer Rooney has finally stepped out of his shadow.

Whilst not always playing well in the early months of the season, he became a clinical goal poacher to make up for it. As the season has gone on he has added all of the other elements to his game that make him such a joy to watch. He has developed into the complete striker, capable of dropping deep and playing the creative role we’re used to seeing him in, as well as getting himself in the box at the right time to spearhead United’s attacks.

England boss Capello had spoken of his desire to see Rooney play in a more advanced role and it looks like the absence of Ronaldo has forced Sir Alex Ferguson‘s hand, allowing Rooney to grow into one of the best strikers in the world on current form.

His leadership skills are there for all to see. He leads by example with his hard work and dedication, and has the quality to inspire those around him.

He is not squeaky clean either, it has to be said. But after getting married and becoming a father he seems to have done something that John Terry will never do. Wayne Rooney has grown up.

He is the best person to take over from John Terry, should the Chelsea defender resign in disgrace or be stripped of the captaincy in even more disgrace.

Many will say England would lose a great leader. I say they’ll be gaining a superstar who will thrive under the pressure of leading England to glory.

The Portuguese winger has been in blistering form recently and put in another excellent performance today, contributing to both of Manchester United’s first half goals.

Ferguson told MUTV what the players think of Nani now that he’s matured into a consistent performer.

“It’s amazing, when you talk to the players they all want him to play, they all think he’s fantastic and now we get consistency and maturity out of him I think we’ve got a really good player.

“The boy has come back. He had an injury and he’s been freshened up and his last three games have been first class and today was his best.

“Maturity is one thing as he’s 23 now, he’s a very shy boy there’s no question about that. It’s a question of getting stronger and better to deal with playing for us every week. And today is an example of that maturity.”

After being in and out of the team early in the season and then missing for a while through injury, Nani has found it hard to nail down a first team spot this term.

It hasn’t helped that Summer signing Antonio Valencia had apparently been Ferguson’s first choice for the right wing slot, but after a couple of impressive performances against Hull and Manchester City, Nani has shown that he’s more than capable of fighting for his place in the first team and has thanked the United boss for believing in him.

“Week by week the coach has shown more and more confidence in me and that has really helped,” Nani told The Sun.

“United is not a very easy place to recover your place in the first team because there is such a big squad and I had problems at the start of this season.

“Injuries certainly damaged my performances and it was difficult.

“But Sir Alex was very clear with me – he spoke at length about what he expected and was always very positive.

“He changed my mentality and improved my morale over the past few months and now I think I am getting as much satisfaction from my performances as I ever had.”

“As I’ve said before, I am Nani and not Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t want comparisons because our style of play is different.”

“My future is at Manchester United. I’ve heard all the rumours but my mission is to stay and help the club win more titles,” he said.

“I had a good game against Hull City. That’s my challenge, to play more, get more minutes.

“I know what the coach expects from me and I’m trying to always offer my maximum level on the field.”

Fletcher was very much under-rated by many until fairly recently, which is similar to what McClair went through during his time at Old Trafford.

The main characteristic they share though is their movement on the pitch. Both were always on the move, eager to get to the ball and play football.

“Darren reminds me of Brian McClair,” Ferguson said.

“He was exactly the same. When the ball moved he moved.

“Darren is in the same mould because he must run more than anyone.

“His energy and awareness of space are excellent.”

He has developed into a big game player and is an automatic name on the team sheet for games against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.

After an impressive second half performance against Manchester City midweek, Fletcher is expected to start against Arsenal tomorrow.

“There are not many big games Darren has not played in over the years,” said the United boss.

“We have been saying how good he is for a while. Maybe it has taken longer for the fans to appreciate the qualities the boy has.

“There is nothing you can do about that. He is not a stylish player by any means. He is ungainly and gangly.

“But he is a fantastic player.”

Another of Fletcher’s qualities is his strength of character. Something which after overcoming injuries early in his career have got him to where he is today.

“When he was a young lad of 16 he was out of the game for two years with ankle problems,” he continued.

“It is not easy when you miss your formative years as an academy player here.

“But he has come through that to the level he is at now. That is the character he has shown.”

Arsenal self destructed in the game, giving away a penalty and then scoring an own goal to hand victory to United, but rather than criticize his own players for lacking concentration, Wenger accused Fletcher of systematically fouling his players throughout the game.

Without naming Fletcher directly, Wenger had the following to say:

“players who play only to make fouls. And who are never punished, who make repeated fouls, and are never punished. And who get out of the game without a yellow card.”

Sir Alex believes this is where Wenger is wrong.

“That is where Arsene lets himself down,” Ferguson said.

“What he said was disappointing and actually, I don’t think he believes it for a minute.

“Everyone knows that Darren Fletcher is not a dirty player or a physical player. He is not built that way.

“But he can win the ball and his timing and energy to get to it is fantastic. You can’t call that a fault.

“Being able to tackle properly is a great part of the game.”

The Arsenal manager was subjected to abusive chants when he came to Old Trafford in August, and Sir Alex is hoping to avoid a repeat of that incident at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

“Sometimes, I can’t make out these chants but I know there’s been some terrible abuse from our fans to Arsene Wenger and there must be a line drawn.

“And I think that they must know that ­themselves.”

The City fanatic will be in mourning after they were beaten 3-1 at Old Trafford, but Gallagher believes looking good on the touchline is an all important asset for any manager.

‘Mancini looks good but then, all Italians are cool. He’s certainly cooler than that Taggart from across the road – he’s a top manager and all that but he looks like a dustbin-man.’

This sharp wit is a trait present in all Manchester City fans. I’m sure you were all in stitches when reading the comments, just as I am.

When details of the presentation for “Best Dressed Manager Of The Year Award” are available I’ll be sire to keep you updated.

“I thought Rooney was much better today than he was on Saturday (against Hull City), and yet he scored four goals on Saturday,” he told Sky Sports.

“His control, leading of the line and penetration was absolutely fantastic. It was a true world-class performance.”

The United boss believes the atmosphere contributed to the game.

“The atmosphere tonight, and the fact it was a semi-final tie, added a lot of spice to the match.

“And the fact we scored so late in the game brought a special type of celebration.”

“Nothing really happened in the first half. They sat very deep.

“What we said at half-time was to keep playing our football and keep spreading our play.

“I am proud of the team. I also must pay tribute to our support. They were unbelievable.”

Ferguson is apparently aggrieved at the way Sky have stoked up the tension ahead of tonight’s vital Carling Cup tie against Manchester City by repeatedly showing the incident involving Carlos Tevez and Gary Neville.

Sky’s James Cooper asked the United boss what he thoughts of some of Garry Cook’s recent comments, but couldn’t have expected the reaction he got.

Ferguson told Cooper: “Listen, you come on about stuff that’s of no interest to me. You try to promote yourself. Just leave the football to us, OK. You come on with some nonsense, so you do.”

Sky Sports will join the BBC on the list of people Ferguson refuses to talk to.

New Preston boss Darren Ferguson looked to father Sir Alex to make 19 year old Welbeck his first signing since taking the reins at Deepdale on January 6th.

Welbeck has made 11 appearances for United this term and has got himself onto the score sheet against both Wolves and Barnsley to help the reds progress in the Carling Cup.

Fergie Jr will be hoping Welbeck can kick start a run of good results for Preston to propel them into a play off place.

The Argentine scored both of City’s goals in the 2-1 victory at the Eastlands stadium, but Ferguson believes he shouldn’t have been on the pitch after a shocking challenge on Wes Brown.

Going for the ball in a 50-50 challenge with Brown, Tevez raised his foot and raked his studs down Brown’s thigh. Amazingly the referee didn’t even see fit to brandish a yellow card, never mind a red.

“Tevez should have been sent off really,” said Ferguson.

“Have you seen the tackle? He went over the top of the ball.

“He didn’t even get booked!”

His return will be a welcome boost for Manchester United after the major injury crisis they’ve gone through at the back.

Defensive partner Nemanja Vidic is still missing, and with Wes Brown and Jonny Evans seemingly unable to develop a competent partnership, Ferdinand will bring experience and leadership back to the defence.

“I think Rio will play against Hull, which is good news,” Ferguson said.

“He’s been training very well in the last two weeks so it’s time to bring him back.

“It’s a big boost because we’ve had a rough time at the back with Rio, Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic and John O’Shea all being injured at one stage or another.”

The combative midfielder has been out since November 2008 and will be a welcome returnee for the United boss, who has seen his squad rocked by injuries this season.

“Owen Hargreaves is still training with the Reserves,” Sir Alex said.

“He’s done three sessions with us [the first team] and he did very well in Qatar.

I will probably name him in my Champions League squad when I finalise it.”

United won the game 4-0 at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, with Diouf netting in the 18th, 45th and 48th minutes, while Sam Hewson rounded of the scoring with a 78th minute penalty.

Diouf has already impressed at first team level by scoring the third against Burnley last week, and must now be hoping his first Premier League start will soon be on the horizon.

The Senegalese striker may have to wait a while yet though, after picking up a knock in the second half. If fit, he’s certain to be involved in the squad this weekend as United look to go top of the league.

The versatile defender had been a key part of the United back line last season, but injuries have disrupted his ability to nail down the right back spot and Sir Alex Ferguson has now confirmed that he’ll miss the rest of the season due to a blood clot.

“He’s got a terrible injury at the moment,” Sir Alex Ferguson said. “It’s one of those sorts of injuries that are unusual. It’s like a dead leg except a dead leg is usually only three or four days.

“The problem is that the blood clot became all knotted and when it gets knotted you get calcification so therefore it’s a long process to clear that up and he’ll probably miss the season now.

“It’s a bad blow for the boy and for the team because he can play anywhere. When you look at all the problems I’ve had with the back four this season, he could have played every single one.”

City played nothing like a side that’s capable of coming to Old Trafford and beating us or even leaving with a draw. They were camped in their own half for much of the game, while United dominated possession and mounted attack after attack. One of those attacks paid off when Ryan Giggs tapped in the deflection after a good save from Rooney’s near post effort and united were looking very much in control of the game. City had nothing to offer.

Things changed however, when the shambolic referee decided to award City a penalty for a foul that was clearly outside the box. It begs the question, what prompted Merseyside born Mike Dean to make one of the worst decisions of his error laden career?

However undeserved, it gave City some momentum and some confidence to actually play a little bit. They created one or two more chances after that and were more adventurous in their attacks. United were still dominating the majority of play though, while City relied on counter attacks from the often isolated Bellamy.

The winning goal came from a corner that possibly shouldn’t have been given. Dean apparently saw a flick off Rafael that was very hard to see on television replays. Nevertheless, United defended the corner badly and the kettle spiller was left free in the middle of the box to tap in the winner.

After my initial drunken rant last night though, I’m not feeling too bad about the defeat at all. We dominated City on their own turf. They looked poor for most of the game and if not for another shocking performance from smug looking Mike Dean we’d have come away with a draw minimum.

With the Stretford End behind us next week I have full confidence that we can overturn this deficit. There was another occasion in recent seasons where we brought a team back to Old Trafford and were carrying a 2-1 deficit. Does anyone remember how that ended up?

I’m not predicting the same result this time around, but with a more adventurous starting line up from Fergie and City inevitably camped in their own half desperately hanging onto their slender advantage, I can see us winning comfortably at home to those undeserving cretins who are under the mistaken impression that they deserve success.

The United boss was speaking ahead of the game at Eastlands tonight and thinks the fact that the Carling Cup would be City’s first trophy in 34 years has no bearing in games like these.

“It is a popular argument that this means more to City,” Sir Alex told the M.E.N.

“But, as far as I am concerned, it is a semi-final. It doesn’t matter how many you have played in, they are occasions you always want to do well in.

“The rivalry creates far more emotion. You can’t compare United and City to Rangers and Celtic, but we are obviously in the same City and they are also making a better fist of their league programme this year.”

The Argentine frisbee chaser was offered the chance to extend his stay at Old Trafford, but turned it down in favour of a massive payrise to move to our bitter neighbours.

“What Tevez is doing now is not an issue for me,” he told Sky Sports.

“We made a pitch, he didn’t take it, and he went to City. It’s no problem for us, we have moved on.

“It’s not the end of the world for us. He’s done well and so be it, but I’ve got no issues about it.”

The Senegalese striker came from Molde, the same Norwegian club that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came from, and Diouf emulated the United legend by scoring on his debut.

“It feels good to score in my first game here,” he told MUTV.

“I was nervous for the first two or three minutes but then you forget about all the people in the stands and you do your job.”

“I’m just going to work hard and do my best and we’ll see when the manager needs me. I’ll be ready, though.

“I want to give my best for my new team and be ready when they need me. I’ll work hard in training, never give up and be ready for the next chance that comes along.”

He believes he can learn a lot by playing alongside United’ senior strikers, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney.

“I’m sure I can learn [by playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov],” he said.

“They are top players, some of the best in the world. They’ve done so much in football and in this league so I’m going to try and learn a lot.”

The game finished 3-0 to United, but it’s a scoreline that definitely flatters United and doesn’t reflect Burnley’s many spurned chances.

After United’s early profligacy, Burnley’s quick counter attack almost saw them take the lead. Then even after going a goal down and even two goals down, Burnley still came at United and didn’t stop battling for new boss Brian Laws until the final whistle.

“It was a funny game – we had so many opportunities in the last third of the field, in the first half in particular, that it was almost embarrassing that we didn’t score,” he said in his post match interview.

“And then from a breakaway, Burnley could have scored (through Fletcher).

“Second half it was much the same, although I thought we settled down a bit better second half.

“But once again they broke away and Nugent’s right through, misses (the) opportunity and it could have been embarrassing.

“But that’s what happens in modern day football and they overloaded the middle of the field.

“It was always going to be difficult that way because we went for a complete attacking line-up with Dimitar and Wayne right through the middle, two wide in the way that we’ve always been fashioned.

“But at times it causes us problems.”

“Fortunately, Dimitar, who I thought was the one player who has got to score, did score,” he said.

He celebrated his debut by scoring against Burnley after coming on as a late substitute and that can only be good news for the future.

Antonio Valencia had floated a long ball up towards him and he was able to head in past Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen to make the score 3-0 to United.

He’ll have tough competition though if he wants to become a starter at Old Trafford. Rooney continued his excellent goalscoring form today and Dimitar Berbatov also got on the score sheet.

Michael Owen – with 5 goals in his last 5 starts – will also provide competition, but has seemingly fallen out of favour with Sir Alex following his hat trick against Wolfsburg.

The Bulgarian striker, who was named Player of the Year today, came through United’s training camp in Qatar unscathed and Ferguson hopes this means he can finish the campaign with his £30 million on the pitch rather than in the treatment room.

“If we could see it through until the end of the season it would be better,” Sir Alex said at his Friday press conference.

“The advice was to have an exploratory operation but Dimitar wants to play through it.

“Sometimes he feels it and sometimes he doesn’t. Maybe the climate helped but he didn’t feel it when we went away, so he trained every day.

“It is a difficult one and if he is feeling OK it is not a problem.

“But if he is keeps continually coming up against a problem we would have to make a decision on it.”

It didn’t stop many people installing Liverpool as favourites for the title though. On the contrary, pundits were lining up to give Liverpool their backing for the title and end 20 years of pain. A quick glance on the popular Liverpool forum Red and White Kop would have made you think number 19 was as certain as night following day, such was the giddyness emanating from down the East Lancs Road.

There was one man though, one man who predicted exactly what would happen. His name is Sir Alex Ferguson. He didn’t believe the consensus that Liverpool were now a force to be reckoned with. He didn’t believe they’d be challenging for the title this season. He knew they had performed well above their natural ability last season and knew they’d struggle to replicate that form this season.

“It will be hard for them to match last season, let alone improve on it. Other teams will know more about them,” he told The Sun.

“Liverpool had probably their best season for 20 years and still finished four points adrift.”

What will you find if you go back to the same Liverpool forum right now?

“Due to high stress on the server the forum is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

I’m unsure if the stress relates to the fans or the server the forum is hosted on, but one thing is for certain, Sir Alex Ferguson was spot on about Liverpool and now their fans forum, just like their team, is in meltdown.

United pulled out of the deal in early December, citing his lack of development as a reason for not wanting to pay the pre-agreed transfer fee.

Ljajic refuted the claims, saying that the reason he couldn’t move to United was because he had trouble obtaining a work permit.

It was thought that United had missed out on a great young talent, but after Ljajic agreed terms with Fiorentina it seems Sir Alex Ferguson may have been right not to pursue the deal.

If Ljajic had such huge potential then all of Europe’s top clubs would have been clamouring to get his signature, but as it happens, the only clubs competing with Fiorentina to sign the 18 year old were Russian clubs, suggesting his future isn’t as bright as first thought.

Whether Ferguson was right to pull out of the move, only time will tell, but for the moment it looks like his judgement may have been spot on as usual.

The financial figures released yesterday show that more than £20 million has gone into the Glazer’s pockets while the club itself draws closer to financial ruin.

The £20 million includes £10 million in “management and administration fees,” and another £10 million in personal loans to six family members, not due for repayment for five years.

The figures are sure to anger fans who are becoming increasingly concerned with the Glazer’s financial plan, which now looks to be focused on raising £500 million through the sale of bonds in the hopes that it will lower the crippling interest payments which this year stood at £41.9 million. It will also put the repayment date back from 2013 to 2017.

Despite Sir Alex Ferguson‘s attempts to allay fears by claiming he has cash to spend, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the opposite is true as his bizarre claims of there being “no value in the market” are looking more and more transparent.

The whole situation makes one think of the old adage of “re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic”.

The reds will find themselves hard done by after dominating the entire first half yet somehow going in at half time 1-0 down, but Sir Alex is pleased with the fighting spirit they showed to battle for a point against high flying Birmingham.

“To lose the goal just before half-time after dominating the game was a real sickener.

“But the most important thing is to persevere in situations like that. We have got the experience to do that.

“But this is a tough league. Birmingham have really improved since they have come into this division.”

Ferguson was critical of Clattenburg’s decision to send off midfielder Darren Fletcher towards the end of the game, saying the decision was “absolutely ridiculous”.

Clattenburg has hit back though, claiming Fletcher has only himself to blame for making the challenge on Birmingham forward Cameron Jerome.

“It’s a second yellow card,” Clattenburg is quoted as saying in The Mirror.

“He was bollocked for dissent and then he got cautioned for a foul and then he cynically just trips him [Cameron Jerome].”

The comments are unlikely to settle Ferguson, who will find out today whether his comments will land him with another touchline ban.

The Senegalese striker was signed in the Summer, but immediately loaned back to Norwegian club Molde to finish the campaign with them.

Sir Alex now believes the 22 year old has done enough in training to warrant giving him a chance in the first team.

“We are looking to involve Diouf at Birmingham,” said Ferguson.

“It is a good time to do it and he may just do well straight away.”

“In training he has done very well,” he said.

“He is quick and has magnificent spring in the air for someone of 5ft 10in.

“He has a good intelligence and a good feel for the game.

“He has attributes that are suited to us. He is a bit different to what we have at the moment and we have done well to get the kid.”

Antonio Valencia was brought in for £16 million. Gabriel Obertan arrived from Bordeaux for £3 million. Michael Owen signed no a free transfer, while Mame Biram Diouf and Paul Poga’s fees are undisclosed, but thought to be nominal. If you assume Ferguson has been given no extra funds, that leaves around £60 million.

Sir Alex Ferguson has repeated the same mantra since last Summer, that there’s “no value” in the transfer market. But it’s a mantra that’s becoming increasingly hard to believe for many United fans.

Was Ferguson worried about “value” when he signed Dimitar Berbatov for £30.75 million? Or OWen Hargreaves for £17 million? Or Michael Carrick for £18.6 million? Or Rio Ferdinand or Wayne Rooney for around £30 million each?

He has repeatedly broke the bank to secure the signatures of star players in the past and there was never any mention of “value”.

We’re Manchester United, the fee is always higher when we come calling, but we’ve always paid what was required to bring the player to Old Trafford. Why is Ferguson suddenly obsessed with “value”?

My guess, and the guess of many fans, is that the Glazer’s have used the majority of the Ronaldo money to pay off some of the interest on the huge debts they’ve placed on the club and that Ferguson’s budget for new players is close to zero.

But no doubt he’ll keep peddling the same “no value in the market” mantra and hope that some of the more gullible fans believe it.

Where do you think the Ronaldo money has gone?

Following his mysterious withdrawal from the back four in the warm up before the Leeds game last Sunday, speculation has grown that there was an argument between Ferguson and Vidic.

Real Madrid are reportedly set to capitalize on the supposed rift between the two, by making a £30 million offer for the defender.

Ferguson however, insists the Serbian defender is injured.

“He felt a bit of a problem with the right side of his leg and didn’t feel confident about playing the game,’

“I understand that because it was quite painful.”

“We sent him to a specialist on Wednesday and the problem will be solved by some exercises we are going to have to give him now.”

“He should be back in about 10 days’ time.”

Vidic has also claimed there is no rift between the two.

The speculation has been fulled by the fact that no contract offer has been made to Neville, while colleagues Paul Scholes Ryan Giggs have both been offered a one year extension to their current contracts.

Ferguson however, insisted that decisions on player futures are not made in the middle of the season.

“There has not been a decision about Gary Neville,” he told Sky Sports.

“Why make a decision about his future when we don’t need to? You don’t make decisions like that in the middle of the season.

“It is a load of nonsense.”

The Blues have gone 12 games without defeat and Mcleish aims to extend that run at the expense of the champions.

“The big one for all of us who have played for Sir Alex is to beat him – but you’re not allowed,” McLeish told premierleague.com.

The Scot was returning praise that Sir Alex Ferguson gave him yesterday. He admits the main goal of all players that played under Ferguson is to beat him.
“I’ve never done it. We lost 1-0 at Ibrox in the Champions League when I was manager of Rangers and then got thumped 3-0 down the road.

“I’ve lost two games since I’ve been here at Birmingham – both 1-0 – so I’m getting closer.”

Mcleish also praised Ferguson for the way he mentors other managers.

“I do pick up the phone to him sometimes and I get phone-calls from him.

“We all like to think ‘I’m his best protégé’ or ‘I’m his best pal’ but he’s got millions and they are not only players who’ve played for him.

“The amount of managers who phone him or are friendly with him is incredible and they revere him.

The Senegalese striker signed for United in the Summer, but stayed with Norwegian club Molde to finish the campaign.

The 22 year old has looked good in training, and Ferguson has been so impressed that he’s likely to throw him in at the deep end sooner rather than later.

‘He has adapted very well to our training regime and has looked very impressive,’ the United boss told Inside United.

‘He is quick, very good in the air and a good striker of the ball. Overall, he is a really good centre-forward and he will play a part this season.’

The Italian defender played more than 900 games over half a century for Milan. Sir Alex admits he tried to sign him but knew it could never happen after speaking to his father, Cesare.

“I always wanted to get Paolo here but it was impossible,” Ferguson said.

“I met his father at a game and told him how much I’d love to have his son at United.

“Cesare smiled at me and said ‘My grandfather was Milan, my father was Milan, I played for Milan and now my son is Milan’. And that was it – story over!”

The 37 year old guided Peterborough to two successive promotions and was then sacked in November. He has no been made Alan Irvine’s successor at Preston, but admits comparisons with the Manchester United manager will always be a weight on his shoulders.

I’m very, very ambitious and with my name I cannot afford to fail,” he told The Guardian.

“Pressure is there in any walk of life but you’ve got to try and be successful. If you win enough games you will be fine, if you don’t then you will be under pressure.

“But Preston have generally given their managers a chance. History suggests that and that was a big part of me coming here. The club has a fantastic tradition, is very stable and has a good base of Championship players with a mix of experience and youth.”

After almost 5 decades out of England’stop flight, Darren is hoping to bring Preston back to the summit of English football.

“Hopefully we can go one better [than last season] and get to the promised land.”

We are eight points off the play-offs with a game in hand and that bodes well. The aim definitely is to get there and, along with winning games, my philosophy is to entertain and that’s never going to change.”

“The fans work all week, they pay their money, and I want them to be proud of watching Preston.”

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been on the receiving end of losses from so called smaller clubs and Ferguson believes the changing nature of the game is the cause.

He pointed to the job Birmingham boss Alex Mcleish has done to backup his theory of an improving league. The Blues are sitting in 8th position in the table , just a point behind struggling Liverpool.

“There is an improvement in the league. You have to assess it that way, ” the United boss told The Sun.

“Look at Birmingham for instance and the fantastic job Alex McLeish has done. He only had a small amount of money to budget with when they came into the Premier League.

“He brought Barry Ferguson down from Rangers and brought in the centre-half from Cardiff (Roger Johnson).

“He has used players who have been there for a long time now. What he has done has been marvellous.”

“They are now eighth in the league and have gone 11 games without defeat.

“It tells you that Birmingham had to improve as a team from last season. They have done that remarkably well.

“The general standard of the league has improved. That is why you are getting so many different results.”

Vidic has spoken out on the so called feud, reporting that there is no problem between him and the manager. The reason he missed the Leeds match was through injury.

“Everything surprised me a lot,” he told Sportski zurnal. “Ferguson said that he didn’t talk with the club doctor, but he didn’t say that he doesn’t believe in my injuries and that we are in a fight.

“Everybody in the club knows that I have a marvellous understanding with my coach Ferguson.

“Moreover, I’m not unhappy at Old Trafford. I’m just injured and that is the end of the story.

His agent spoke today regarding the transfer speculation and believes Vidic is staying at United.

Vidic also spoke of his desire to get back playing again, but believes it could be as much as ten days before he’s fit to play again, meaning he’ll miss the Premier League match against high flying Birmingham City.

“I hope that I will be able to play as soon as possible. The doctors told me that I will not be able to play for the next seven or ten days so I don’t think that I will play against Birmingham City.”

The Serbian centre half was due to start Sunday’s game against Leeds United, but pulled out mysteriously before kick off after finding a problem during the warm up.

Despite also having Rio Ferdinand out injured and admitting that recent results have been affected by the injury crisis, Ferguson is of the opinion that it would be silly to invest in a defender because of the selection headache it would create when everybody is fit again.

“We have paid a price for the absence of so many of our experienced back-four players,” Ferguson told United Review.

“Inevitably people look to this month’s transfer window as a solution to our injury worries but it’s not the answer.

“If someone could give me the name of a really good centre-half who would accept a three-month contract then I would jump at the chance, but where do you find a player like that?

“A decent player would be looking for a three-year contract and I don’t need that kind of addition. It’s already difficult enough leaving good players out of the team without adding another to the mix.

“We will continue to scout and recruit young players to develop but I won’t be looking for a senior player to ease our defensive crisis.”

To my surprise Owen has proved me wrong. He’s shown that he’s still able to be a fox in the box when the need arises, most notably with his injury time winner against the bitters and his hat trick away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League.So surely after proving how clinical he can be, he was certain to be pushing for a regular spot alongside Rooney some time soon? Not according to Fergie, who has only started him once since his hat trick at Wolfsburg.

Apparently Owen isn’t competing with Berbatov for a place, so it doesn’t matter if he scores more than the Bulgarian. Fergie has revealed that Owen is in fact in direct competition with Wayne Rooney for a starting place, thus completely eliminating any chance he ever had of becoming a regular at United. It’s a good job Owen likes coming on as a sub.

“It is difficult to leave out Rooney. That is the thing because I think Owen is identical to Wayne in the position he plays in terms of being further up the pitch, with Berbatov in the team.

“The combinations are more likely to be Berbatov and Owen, or Berbatov and Rooney. Rooney and Owen together, well then you have to have Rooney dropping in, I prefer him up the pitch a bit more, I must admit.”

Wayne Rooney is our best player, meaning Fergie is never going to drop him. Even when he goes through dry spells he never gets dropped because he’s the type of player who can produce something from nothing at any given moment.

It looks like Fergie’s comments could not only end Owen’s chances of becoming a United regular, but could also end his dream of making it into Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.

I think we can all agree that Berbatov hasn’t hit the heights he did at Spurs yet while wearing a United shirt, but his recent performances suggest he’s finally finding his place in our team.

Fergie has revealed his high hopes for the partnership, claiming their contrasting styles compliment each other well.

“I think the partnership between Berbatov and Rooney is growing, he told the Daily Star Sunday.

“They have a good partnership. I think there is a combination there, between the two.

“I think they are different types of players but they are suited to that combination.”

Fergie added: “There are some partnerships which click right away like Yorke and Cole. That was amazing.

“It just happened. When I brought in Yorkie my thought was maybe playing him with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Or Yorke with Teddy Sheringham.

“My immediate thought was not Cole and Yorke. But when they played together they were unbelievable. They seemed to develop their partnership really quickly.

“It was brilliant. Cole’s form that first year of them being together was terrific. Hopefully this one with Berbatov and Rooney will be the same. It’s bubbling along nicely.

Fergie also said that Berbatov was carrying an injury for a while that may have affected his performances. The threat of surgery would certainly affect the way he played.

“We certainly hope that Berbatov will explode for the second half of the season. He was carrying an injury for a bit and it was affecting his game.

“It was also affecting, his own confi dence about whether he should have an operation. But he’s come through that now and he’s okay. He’s a very good player. A very talented boy.

It’s been suggested that Ferguson could abandon his youth policy in favour of  his star players for the meeting with United’s local rivals. United fans are keen to deny City the opportunity to win their first trophy in 33 years and are eager to see a healthy amount of experience on the pitch on Wednesday.

However, Ferguson has insisted that he will play the likes of Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson, Gabriel Obertan and Ritchie De Laet in the first leg of the tie at Eastlands on Wednesday.

“I will stick with the principle of picking young players on Wednesday,”  Ferguson told the Manchester Evening News.

“That is what we have done in the Carling Cup and we are not changing that.”

He added that the youngsters who play in the semi will also be picked for the final against either Aston Villa or Blackburn if United overcome City as a reward for their excellent performances.

Ferguson remembers the rivalry well. He knows exactly what it means to the fans and is looking forward to renewing the intense battles that the two clubs used to endure before Leeds were relegated from the Premiership.

“I don’t need to spell out to Manchester United fans and players what Leeds games have meant over the years,” Sir Alex said at today’s press conference.

“They were fantastic, feisty occasions every time we met, there was always a tinge of hostility hovering around the game and we always told the players to behave themselves on the pitch.

“I used to enjoy the games – they made us perform. We had some great games at Leeds because the atmosphere was always electric and our record was good – I think we only lost once there. They were two competitive teams then, but it’s a different United team now, and we just have to make sure we play our normal game.

“They’re bringing 9,000 fans, so it will be a brilliant atmosphere and a fantastic cup tie.”

Ferguson also found time to praise Leeds manager Simon Grayson and believes Leeds are a club with a bright future. the United boss believes it’s possible we could see leeds return to the Premiership if they continue to improve.

“I watched Leeds on TV against Liverpool in the League Cup and thought they did really well,” Sir Alex continued.

“Simon Grayson has done a fantastic job. He’s a former Leeds player and I think he’s reached his target in managing them. He has great motivation and his team are not letting him down – they’re playing really well at the moment.

“Leeds had some good players in the Premier League – Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith –  but they had to sell them on, and that’s what happens if you are financially strained. If you sell your best players, you can bet your life that results change too.

“But I don’t think they’ll be too far from the Premier League in the next couple of years. It looks like they’re certain to promoted to the Championship next season and, with their manager’s drive and motivation, they have a great chance.”

United have struggled with eight first senior defenders injured at one point, along with first choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, but Sir Alex believes signing new players is not the answer to United’s problems.

Wes Brown, Nemanja Vidic and the Da Silva twins have all returned to somewhat ease United’ injury woes, but with long term questions being asked of both Rio Ferdinand and John O’Shea, speculation has been rife that the united boss would invest in a centre half this January.

“Inevitably, people look to this month’s transfer window as a solution to our injury worries but it is not the answer,” Ferguson told The Sun.

“If someone could give me the name of a really good centre-half who would accept a three-month contract then I would jump at the chance. But where do you find a player like that?

“A decent player would be looking for a three-year contract and I don’t need that kind of addition.

“It is difficult enough leaving good players out of the team without adding another to the mix, so I won’t be looking for a senior player to ease our defensive crisis.

“Hopefully the worst is over anyway and we can get stability at the back. Once we do that, I am sure we will make up the ground we have lost.”

Captain Gary Neville made the bench for Wednesday night’s 5-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic and Sir Alex expects Jonny Evans to be back with a fortnight. He also believes the united medical staff have finally got to the bottom of the back injury that has plagued Rio Ferdinand for the past two seasons.

“The main thing for Rio is there is no recurrence of the back problem,” said Ferguson. “That is what we have been waiting for.

“We wanted him to come through the test of running and turning. He is doing his programme in the gymnasium, which is good and at the moment it is looking very healthy.”

The bad news for Ferguson is that John O’Shea will be missing for up to two months. When he hobbled off during the Republic of Ireland’s defeat to France in a World Cup tie breaker, it was thought he had suffered nothing more than a dead leg, but it now appears to be much worse than first believed and Ferguson admits losing such a versatile squad player is a massive blow.

“There is no sign of recovery at all for John,” said Ferguson.

“It is his first injury at the club and he is a big loss because he is such a versatile player.

“We just want to get him back but it could be a couple of months yet.”

Capello believes United are not the “war machine” they once were and “they have started to slow down a bit compared to previously”, but Ferguson hit back, blaming injuries for United’s recent setbacks.

“With all the problems we’ve had with injuries to defenders, I would have definitely accepted being two points off the top of the table by the end of the year,” Ferguson said.

“We have come through a key period – if we beat Wigan we will have got through it without too much damage. We’ve got the experience to do it and the players to do it.”

Ferguson will feel justified by his comments after United put five goals past Wigan without reply last night in a dominant attacking display.

Jose Mourinho also claimed United were in decline following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, but much like what happened when Ruud van Nistelrooy left for Madrid, the tactics change and the goals have been spread throughout the team.

“I think we’ve got 14 different goalscorers this season,” Ferguson said. “They’re all weighing in from different positions.

“So why worry? The important thing is we’re winning and we’ve scored a lot more than at the same stage last season.”

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The Manchester united boss has closed the gap on the London club to two points while Arsenal have also crept up on United, but Ferguson still believes it’ll be united or Chelsea running out as champions at the end of the season.

“The league is so tight now,” said Ferguson. “Teams are taking points off each other that you don’t expect. A consistent run from someone will give them a great chance.

“Our experience of run-ins is good and we can handle that part. Hopefully we can go on that kind of run.

“The team that does that will certainly have a big chance. We have got the experience to do it and we have got the players to do it. I think we are better placed than most teams in that respect. They all know that.

“At the start of the season I saw Chelsea as our biggest danger and I have not changed my mind on that.

“The important thing is to win the Wigan game which would put us a couple of points off the leaders coming into the New Year.

“I would have taken that considering all the defenders we have had injured.”

Goals from Dimitar Berbatov as well as an own goal, were enough to see off Hull, but Ferguson also pointed to the returns of Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown to the defence as being important.

“Today is a step forward for us,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “We’ve got the win which is very important as we’re entering a crucial stage, and we’ve got two of our centre-backs back which will make a big difference to us. And they were absolutely magnificent.”

Sir Alex praised Stoke’s battling performance and the way they attacked United in the early stages.

“We have to give credit to Hull because they got really stuck into us and put tackles in everywhere. They gave a lot of fouls away which that had an affect on our momentum, but you know that games like this away from home will be tough.”

Special praise was reserved for Wayne Rooney, who gifted Hull a goal with a horrible back pass in the second half, but recovered fantastically by creating the second and third goals to seal the points.

“He was a threat all day,” declared Sir Alex. “He’s a natural winner and his desire is inborn. Yes, he made a mistake, but aside from that one bad moment, he was exceptionally good. He would have been more sick than anyone by his mistake, but he’s rectified it in a nice way.”

The striker opened the scoring for United just before half time, but an unusually careless back pass led to youngster Rafael conceding a penalty, which Craig Fagan duely scored.

Rooney then pulled himself together to play a key role in United’s win. It was his cross that forced Andy Dawson to put the ball into his own net. He then play a beautiful pass to Dimitar Berbatov to tap in the third goal and seal the points.

Rooney admits Sir Alex Ferguson could have unleashed the hairdryer is United had not gone home with maximum points and that’s what spurred him on to rectify his mistake.

“Obviously when they got the equaliser it was a mistake by myself and thankfully we got the win, or I don’t think the manager would have been too pleased with me.

“It wasn’t a nice feeling, I didn’t want to let the lads down and at the time it looked like that but it happens and we got the win in the end.”

“We knew it was a big game. We had some good breaks and thankfully we got some goals at the end.

“It was quite open. Hull committed a lot of men forward and it did leave us spaces to counter-attack.”

The centre forward was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in the Summer after scoring 29 goals in 63 games for Norwegian team Molde, but was immediately loaned back while a work permit was arranged.

After being granted a work permit, Diouf will be eligible to play for United when the January transfer window opens and he’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of another player to make the switch from Norway to Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“Playing for Manchester United has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a small boy.

“I hope I will have a big impact in January and I am confident of playing very well.”

The United boss turns 68 next month, but insists he has no plans to retire in the near future, and only ill health will stop him managing United.

The Lawman believes Sir Alex will go down alongside Sir Matt Busby, Jock Stein and Bill Shankly as one of the greatest managers of all time.

“When Alex retires maybe at 95 or 100, he will probably turn out to be the greatest manager the game has ever seen,” Law told MUTV.

“When you look at the great managers, Busby, Shankly and Stein, he will be in that category.

“They all came from working-class backgrounds and football has always been a working- class game. There is a passion among Scottish managers that other countries do not have. Coming from a hard working area they wanted to entertain the people but those days have gradually gone,” he continued.

Law believes United’s patience at the start oof ferguson’s reign paid off and is an example to modern clubs not to sack managers because of bad results in the short term.

“You go back to his time at Aberdeen, the main teams in Scotland are Celtic and Rangers,” said Law. “He came in and knocked them down. The success he had was fantastic.

“After he came to United things didn’t go too well and if they hadn’t won the FA Cup in that particular year, there might have been a change. But United realised you can’t come into a club and have instant success and stuck by him.”

Scanlon survived the Munich air disaster along with Charlton, and after recovering from a fractured skull and broken leg, managed to score 16 times the following season as United remarkably finished runners up in the league against all the odds.

“It was with enormous sadness that I received the news of Albert’s passing,” Charlton told United’s official website.

“He was a part of Manchester United folklore and was always a popular figure with the fans, especially because he was a Manchester lad.

“An exciting orthodox winger, he had pace, good ball control and could be relied upon to provide a constant supply of crosses to his fellow forwards.

“Albert’s place in Manchester United history is assured – he will never be forgotten,” Charlton added.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very sad time.”

Sir Alex Ferguson also expressed his sadness at Albert’s departure.

United manager Alex Ferguson, in charge at Old Trafford since 1986, said: “I have known Albert since I came to Manchester United and he was always a pleasant and delightful man.

“He was always cheery and never lost his sense of humour despite the experience he had, and to come through that shows his strength of character.

“He will be a great loss, as he was a popular man, and our condolences go to his family.”

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unlikely to be impressed with the antics of some of his stars at the team’s Christmas party on Saturday.

Sir Alex has famously been against Christmas parties since Jonny Evans was accused of rape two years ago, so things could get messy at Old Trafford when he finds out about the latest goings on.

Out of favour Portuguese winger Nani  was so drunk he had to be carried to a taxi, while youngster Matty James allegedly got paralytic and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Italian striker Federico Macheda followed the example of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov by chain smoking through the night.

Sir Alex has apparently lost patience in inconsistent winger Nani, who has hardly featured this season despite expecting more opportunities since Ronaldo’s departure.

The United boss watched Di Maria in action at Goodison Park last month, when Everton lost 2-0 to Benfica and he is said to have been impressed with what he saw, prompting the bid for his services.

Benfica however, will be reluctant to sell mid season, and will want substantially more than £9million plus Nani if they are to accept the offer.

The United boss would be forgiven for dipping into his transfer budget as the injury crisis at Old Trafford includes no less than eight senior defenders and first choice goalkeeper, but Sir Alex believes the problems for some players are coming to an end.

“That is not come on to the agenda,” he told Key 103.

“We hope that Wes Brown will be back in a week or 10 days’ time, Rio Ferdinand is improving, Gary Neville is getting there and Rafael da Silva has now started training.

“We are not so bad and we are not looking at signing players,” he added.

After the disappointing 3-0 loss to Fulham this afternoon united lost further ground to Chelsea in the title race, but Sir Alex is confident that his team could go on and win the title if they get certain players fit again.

“The way the league is at the moment I hope today is not too damaging. I hope it doesn’t cost us the league,” he told MUTV.

“We’ll have to get our defenders back to give us a proper chance of going for the league, there’s no question of that. But if we get them back we’ll be back in it. The quicker they’re back the better. They’re doing their best. The medical team and physios are working overtime to get them back. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel at the moment, that’s for sure.”

He also refused to blame the players who played in today’s woeful performance, many of them asked to play out of position in an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation.

“There was a fragility at the back and we couldn’t do anything about that,” he said.

“You have to have sympathy for the players in that respect. It’s difficult to play midfielders at centre back and Ritchie de Laet is only 21 years of age. He’s not got the experience yet needed for these type of matches.

“Of course it was a terribly soft goal for the first one and that gave them the platform to build on. The goal after half-time took care of us. It was a poor decision by the referee for the third goal.

He also praised Fulham for the way they defended and admitted that conceding so early into the second half killed off their hopes of a comeback.

“We couldn’t get behind Fulham at all and their defence is very well organised and it was a difficult day for us. The first goal was important for them but it was a bad one for us. It was an uphill fight after that.

“To concede 20 seconds into the second-half killed the game. We didn’t anticipate that. The players are maybe feeling a bit sorry for themselves at the moment because of the situation they’re in.

“But the quality of the football wasn’t as good as it normally is. The fragile nature of the players at the back, with midfielders playing in defence, has left them feeling sorry for themselves a bit.”

The midfielder hasn’t played for United since September 2008, following surgery on both knees to correct a recurring injury, but is now back in training.

It was originally hoped that Hargreaves would have recovered by November, but Sir Alex believes it’ll now be the end of January before he’ll be fit enough to join the first team.

“Owen’s doing a bit better this week, and he’s coming along slowly,” Sir Alex told Sky Sports.

“Hopefully he’ll be back at the end of January.”

Sir Alex also revealed that Edwin Van der Sar is heading home to the Netherlands to have treatment on the knee injury he sustained in last month’s 3-0 win over Everton.

“Edwin is going back to Holland.

“It is a change of scenery for him and the Holland team doctor will have a look at the injury.

“He has never had an injury like this in his life before, so we think it is a good idea and expect him back in a couple of days.”