After staying mute since the end of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson held his first major media briefing on Monday in Malaysia. Here's what he had to say...
SAF on the summer...
"This particular summer defies all logic in terms of the credit crunch. You'd expect a lot of clubs to draw in their horns but, no, it's accelerated. Due mainly to a couple of clubs, of course, namely Real Madrid and Manchester City."
SAF on whether United should be considered favourites for the title...
"I don't really know, to be honest with you. I'd like to see the betting."
SAF on who will challenge United for their title...
"Manchester City are getting all the back page stories and they will hold that position for the rest of the season because there is a lot of interest in what they have done and a lot of speculation about whether it is going to work. But I cannot look at Manchester City as our main competitors. Liverpool and Chelsea are our main competitors. There is no doubt about that."
SAF on which of the Big Four is under the most pressure from Man City...
"Arsenal have got the biggest test to be where they want to be, I think. I know that Arsene Wenger doesn't have any money, I know that. I think that selling Adebayor - well, whether he can use that money is another question. There seems to be evidence that he can't use the money, I don't know. I think they're struggling cash-wise. It's a big test for Arsenal."
SAF on pursuing Carlos Tevez...
"In my opinion I didn't think he was worth £25million, that's just my judgment, maybe I'm wrong. The fans quite rightly have their heroes, and I respect the fans so I was happy to go along with a deal as long as it was the right deal. Our success is down to the fans and their support, we need them when we are away from home to the likes of Fulham and Arsenal. But simply he was not worth £25m."
SAF on City's pursuit of John Terry...
"It's understandable, given the money they have. They made their intentions known by buying Robinho for all that money and by signing Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Barry and now Adebayor. They are not stopping, but if I was in City's shoes, with all that kind of money, then I would have a go at that myself. I think it's sensible. For some reason they must have known that he was interested. I'm sure there have been plenty of phone calls going on."
SAF on Man City's prospects of breaking into the top four...
"If you analyse City as a team, you'd say: 'Well, what's their best team?' and 'Where would that go?' And you'd have to think they'd still struggle to get into the top four, really. It would be hard for them to get into that top four, I think so."
SAF on whether City will finish in the top four...
"I am not saying they won't do it. I am just saying they would find it extremely difficult. It is a tough top four that. Aston Villa almost managed to break through but they tapered off because they were worn down by having such a small squad."
SAF on the challenge ahead for Mark Hughes...
"They have bought a lot of high profile players but they have 10 strikers. That is a hell of a lot. I have not spoken to all the managers but the one or two I have are saying "Who are they going to leave out?". How do you tell players they are not even going to be travelling to London? How does he pick a team? We are all interested."
SAF on what Man City's spending spree means for the likes of Harry Redknapp and the Manager of Aston Villa...
"It's a good point. We are protected here at United by our titles. But expectation on them will be exactly the same as last year. Their fans will expect them to challenge and that's difficult for them against that kind of spending. But they are good managers. They know their jobs. Irrespective of cash, they will still make a challenge."
SAF on losing Cristiano Ronaldo...
"There's no doubt he's a huge loss. I think it's a challenge for us. It won't be the same without Ronaldo. It can't be. Without question, in my mind, he is the best player in this world of ours. By absolutely miles. He is streets ahead of Messi, streets ahead of Kaka. Look at his figures. They are unbelievable. The attempts he has on goal, the attacks into the penalty box, his positions, headers, shots... it's unbelievable."
SAF on why Ronaldo went ...
"I had a good chat with the boy about it. He had made up his mind about it. Last year he was begging me and this year it was a sensible discussion. I felt it was right. I told him I'd let him go on one condition and that was that we got the biggest fee ever for a player. And he said: 'Right, that will do me...'"
SAF on Ronaldo's future...
"His best is to come yet because he is just 24 years old. I'll be very proud because we had a part to play in it. He came to the right club at the right part of his career. He appreciates that. And he may come back, you never know...Sometimes it just happens. He loved United, he loved the club. If you look back at the six years he had with us, he never missed training."
SAF on how United will line up this season without Ronaldo...
"We will shape it differently. We'll be more compact in midfield because he [Ronaldo] was a bit loose in his defending. We'll be more compact, but we also have the increasing maturity of players like Darren Fletcher. Owen Hargreaves will come back, Anderson will improve, Nani will improve, Rooney will improve. I think they've got to improve, the young players, and we expect them to improve. I think Dimitar Berbatov think Dimitar Berbatov will have a terrific season, too."
SAF on why he made a move for Michael Owen...
"He is worth the risk. Sometimes you have a punt, a bet or a gamble. You just start to think, 'These bloody transfers, we can carry that, we can carry Michael Owen.'"
SAF on his plans for Owen...
"I won't ask him to play every four days. I might ask him to play every 10 days."
SAF on United's next hero...
"Macheda is top drawer, a hero in the making, just as Cristiano was. It is hard to believe he is just 17. We probably need to check his birth certificate because I reckon he is at least 28. He is a player all right - and tough as old boots. He can look after himself. He does not have the lightning reactions of Ronaldo but he is quick around the box and he has an eye for goal."
SAF on when we'll see the best of Wayne Rooney...
"There will be an expectation about Wayne Rooney this season purely because he is English. Without question he is the main striker that England's hopes will be pinned on at the World Cup, so that is where the expectation is all coming from. But I would like to see the boy develop his game in a lot of departments. He is 23 now. You will get the maturity when he gets to 25. Then there will be a more consistent nature to his game."
SAF on considering signing Petr Cech before he moved to Chelsea...
"I watched him myself twice, and I thought, 'nineteen years old, he's a bit young'. But he was in the national team by the time he was 20. Looking back now, he's maybe made about 10 mistakes in six years...at the time I was looking for someone to replace Peter Schmeichel."
SAF on United's interest in signing Benzema...
"He is tough, has a good physique, a good goal scoring record, so it was worth going a wee bit extra for him because of his age. But when it went to £42 million, it was beyond his value. We went to £35 million and I think that was fair."
SAF on whether United tried to sign Frank Ribery...
"No. We explored it in a nice, quiet way when David Gill was at one of his meetings with them in March. They told him, 'absolutely no chance' and the one thing you."
SAF on the Champions League final ...
"I know exactly what went wrong, but I'm not going to get into it. We threw it away, I will say that. I'm not getting into it at all. It's not even worth talking about.
SAF on how long he will continue...
"No decisions made."
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