Manchester United news and links

• Club captain could be final ‘victim’ this time
• Ronaldo’s role is Ferguson’s biggest decision

Gary Neville is among the players who face the possibility of not even getting a place on Manchester United’s bench for the Champions League final, despite lifting the Premier League winner’s trophy at the weekend in his position as club captain. Sir Alex Ferguson faces a straight choice between Neville and Rafael da Silva as he whittles down a 30-man squad into 18 names, a process the manager has admitted he is “dreading”.

Park Ji-sung was among the players who watched last season’s final from the stands, a decision Ferguson admitted “almost broke my heart”, and the manager has some more difficult choices as he works out his strategy to face Barcelona in Rome next week.

In terms of his starting line-up the biggest issue is whether to use Cristiano Ronaldo as a centre-forward or bring in Dimitar Berbatov or Carlos Tevez, both of whom were substitutes in the second leg of the semi-final at Arsenal. Ferguson, however, says the hardest part will be deciding which seven players to name on his bench and who will take no part at all. Federico Macheda, United’s young player of the year, should brace himself for bad news while Daniel Welbeck, tipped by Ferguson to make England’s World Cup squad next year, will probably be squeezed out.

“There are obviously going to be several players left disappointed,” said Ferguson. “Hopefully the ones who don’t make it will remember we wouldn’t have reached the final without their contribution and each and every one who has played in the competition should remember they are as deserving as those selected for the final. The Champions League involved six group games and a further six at the knockout phase to reach the final and we have had 20 players involved. The Champions League will not be won or lost by the players on duty on the final day.”

That, however, is unlikely to be of any consolation to the players who do not make the cut. Park described his omission in Moscow last May as the worst disappointment of his professional life, although the South Korean has been promised that he will not suffer the same fate again at the Stadio Olimpico. “He deserves his place in the squad,” said Ferguson. “Whether he starts, I still have to make that big decision about what the team is going to be, but he will not be left out this time because it almost broke my heart last year.”

Informing Neville that he has to watch the game in his club suit may be just as difficult for Ferguson given the defender’s influential position within the club. Neville, however, is now 34 with a long history of injuries and Rafael might be a more logical back-up for John O’Shea on the grounds that he has more pace and agility to combat Barcelona’s speed of movement. A clue will inevitably be found in United’s game at Hull City on Sunday, when Ferguson intends to rest players who may be used in Rome.

The other selection issues are made easier for Ferguson on the basis that fiveof his players have already been ruled out of the final, the luckless Ben ­Foster being the latest to go into a period of rehabilitation following an operation to cure a thumb injury. Foster, who will be sidelined for at least nine weeks and will miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra, would have been Edwin van der Sar’s understudy on the bench but that place will now go to Tomasz Kuszczak. Owen Hargreaves, Wes Brown and Fabio da Silva are also injured while Darren Fletcher’s red card against Arsenal in the semi-final ended his chances of playing.

“That’s the sour note,” said Ferguson. “It’s a bitter disappointment for Darren, particularly considering the type of player he is. He’s a gentleman, really. He’s very pragmatic, neither up nor down, his temperament is wonderful and he showed that when the referee gave him the red card. You could see the way he retained his dignity. He knew he was missing the final and yet he just trotted off quite calmly. It took a lot for the kid to do that.”

Champions League final squad

Possible team (4-3-2-1): Van der Sar; O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Carrick, Giggs, Anderson; Park, Rooney; Ronaldo

Subs: Kuszczak, Evans, R da Silva, Scholes, Nani, Berbatov, Tevez

Injured: Foster, Brown, F da Silva

Suspended: Fletcher

In the stands (possible): Neville, Macheda, Welbeck, Gibson, Possebon, Eckersley, Petrucci, Amos

Not in 30-man squad: Hargreaves

• Football suffering because of foreign transfers, he says
• Cruyff wants European Union to act on trafficking of children

Johan Cruyff has fired the opening salvo in the build-up to the Champions League final by accusing English clubs of damaging the game by stockpiling footballers from around the world. The former Barcelona player and coach, who acts an adviser to the president, Joan Laporta, has held the Catalan club up as example to follow thanks to their success in bringing through young talent – in contrast to their Premier League opponents. He has also warned that football is ruining the lives of children from around the world and has urged the European Union to intervene.

Barcelona’s starting XI in Rome is likely to include five Catalans, plus Leo Messi and Andrès Iniesta, both of whom were brought through the club’s youth system, La Masia. At most, Manchester United will start with three if Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes join John O’Shea in the side.

Cruyff, whose philosophy permeates Barcelona and who was responsible for employing Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola as coach, says “the best thing” about their success is that other clubs “will copy them.” He said: “Barcelona have a lot of home-grown players in the team. Big teams are not obliged to win at all costs; they are obliged to compete to win, always thinking of the good of the game.”

The good of the game is not something Cruyff believes Premier League clubs care about and he was scathing of the English model. “However much English teams reach finals, I’m sorry, I do not buy it because of the players they have on the pitch,” he said. “The vast majority of them have been bought from abroad. There are very, very few Englishmen. Just look at the Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United squads.

“Both the English national team and football in general suffers as a result of them signing so many foreign players. Doing so weakens the competition because it’s impossible for every player they sign to play.

“I would like to see a candidate [at the European parliament elections] pick up on the 6+5 idea and fight to change the law on this. That way, the national teams would be improved. As a consequence, you’d also stop the trafficking of children – thousands of footballing hopefuls that are taken from poor countries and of whom only a tiny proportion make it. Where are the rest of them now, what’s their life like?”

Van der Sar feels there are bigger things to come following the title triumph.

Ben will play no further part this season after undergoing surgery.

• We speak about what will happen next, says defender
• ‘If you play for United you need to win trophies’

Manchester United’s players’ player of the year, Nemanja Vidic, believes the club are enjoying a golden era because they are constantly ambitious.

No sooner had the Premier League title been secured for a third successive season than the players were looking to lift another trophy.

Following the last fixture of the domestic season against Hull on Sunday, United head to Rome for the Champions League final against Barcelona on 27 May.

United are defending the trophy, and the Serbia defender is anxious to get his hands on another winners’ medal.

“That is the thing about this club. We try to focus just about what is next,” said the 27-year-old.

“Forget the past. We celebrated with the trophy among the players and family after beating Chelsea [in the Champions League final last season]. Then the next day we flew home.

“When we started this season we just spoke about what would happen next. We forgot about what was behind us, because that is the past and we only look forward.

“If you play for Manchester United, you know what you need to do and that is win trophies. It is a habit.

“Nothing has changed this year compared to last. We believe in ourselves.”

CHECK M.E.N. United reporter Stuart Mathieson’s A-Z of how the 2008/2009 Premier League title was won. 

NEMANJA Vidic admitted he was shocked to be named Manchester United’s players’ and fans’ player of the year.


The Serbian took home both awards for his impressive performances alongside Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Reds’ defence.

Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster is ruled out for the rest of the season with a thumb injury.

NEMANJA Vidic admitted he was shocked to be named Manchester United’s players’ and fans’ player of the year.


The Serbian took home both awards for his impressive performances alongside Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Reds’ defence.

• Ruptured ligament rules goalkeeper out of internationals
• Operation could not be postponed any longer

Ben Foster has undergone surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his right thumb, which means Ben will play no further part in the current campaign, reports the Manchester United website

The 26-year-old England international goalkeeper will be out for at least nine weeks before targeting a return for the Reds next season.

“It is big blow for Ben as not only will he miss the Champions League final but also England’s summer internationals,” Sir Alex told ManUtd.com.

“Ben has tried to continue the season with this injury but it got so critical that an operation was the only way forward.

“It is disappointing for him but the important thing was to get this operation done.”

UNITED goalkeeper Ben Foster has been sidelined for at least nine weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his thumb.


It means he will not be involved in the Champions League final against Barcelona on May 27 or the last league game at Hull on Sunday.

UNITED goalkeeper Ben Foster has been sidelined for at least nine weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his thumb.


It means he will not be involved in the Champions League final against Barcelona on May 27 or the last league game at Hull on Sunday.

BBC Manchester’s Steve Wyeth on why Man Utd went the distance in the title race

CHECK M.E.N. United reporter Stuart Mathieson’s A-Z of how the 2008/2009 Premier League title was won. 

Today’s Mill will not write that in this standfirst

On the outside Sir Alex Ferguson was all smiles, but inside he was surely raging at how his big day had been ruined. And not in an accidental yet hilarious way either. True enough, everyone knew Carlos Tevez was likely to be on his way this summer, but could he not have at least waited until United had enjoyed their title celebrations before he began casting come-hither - or perhaps more accurately ‘let-me-come-thither’ - glances in the direction of Manchester City.

“It will hurt me a lot to leave Manchester United,” sniffed Tevez at the end of United’s draw with Arsenal at the weekend, “but a player knows when he is not part of the team.” Tevez had initially hoped that such words might draw the interest of Liverpool or Chelsea, but neither club is willing to cough up the £26m that Kia Joorbachian is after. By total coincidence, City’s owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan found that exact sum just this morning in the pockets of an old pair of trousers he hadn’t worn for a while.

Chelsea, of course, are busy enough counting out the £22m they intend to pay Carlo Ancelotti over the next four years. Carletto himself is pondering whether it would be bad form to drop Aston Villa a note enquiring as to Ashley Young’s availability before he has even taken up his new post.

Over at Tottenham, Harry Redknapp is anxiously looking forward to his favourite time of year – those precious few weeks in which there are no actual football games to distract him from the transfer market. Harry’s first order of business this summer will be finding buyers for David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko. The latter is said to have drawn interest from Everton; the former will wind up getting flogged back to Blackburn for a fraction of the price Spurs paid for him last summer.

Elsewhere, Arsenal want Ajax captain Thomas Vermaelen to plug a hole in their defence, while Birmingham intend to put all of their eggs in a basket marked ‘Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia‘.

RYAN Giggs had drawn up his challenge for next season even before the last champagne bottle was drained at Old Trafford and before the 11-times title winner hit the town on Saturday night.


The most decorated player in England of all-time has an historic four league crowns in a row on his agenda after United won their 18th title.

RYAN Giggs had drawn up his challenge for next season even before the last champagne bottle was drained at Old Trafford and before the 11-times title winner hit the town on Saturday night.


The most decorated player in England of all-time has an historic four league crowns in a row on his agenda after United won their 18th title.

The outstanding Nemanja Vidic is named fans’ and players’ Player of the Year.

Watch United’s annual awards and follow the blog live from 19:30 BST tonight.

Today’s questions will never be knocked off their perch…

• Rafael Benítez praises United for being a ‘good club’
• Ferguson, however, said ‘a lot of things that I didn’t like’

Rafael Benítez’s feud with Sir Alex Ferguson continued last night as the Spaniard refused to congratulate the Manchester United manager for winning the Premier League title. Benítez offered praise to United for their success but twice declined the opportunity to applaud Ferguson for his achievement as Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory at The Hawthorns that relegated West Bromwich Albion and secured second place.

Asked whether he would congratulate Ferguson in the wake of their 18th League title, Benítez, who had gone public with his grievances with the United manager in January with his infamous list of “facts”, replied: “I will say congratulations to Manchester United.” Not Sir Alex? “Ah, done well,” said the Spaniard begrudgingly, “but I prefer to say congratulations to Manchester United; good club, big club.”

It is protocol for the manager that finishes runners-up to send a letter of congratulations to his triumphant counterpart but Benítez gave little indication he will have a pen in his hand over the next few days when he was asked if he would write to Ferguson. “I have had normally to be polite and to respect the other manager at the end of the season. He has said a lot of things that I didn’t like. I say congratulations to Man United because they have won and that’s it.”

Benítez saw his side cruise to a ninth win in 10 League games against Albion although the victory was overshadowed by an incident involving Jamie Carragher and Alvaro Arbeloa, when the central defender squared up to his team-mate and pushed him in the chest.

Benitez said: “Carragher and Arbeloa wanted a clean sheet so they were a little bit nervous. I think it’s a positive message in terms of the mentality of the team. We wanted to show character and a winning mentality and to win and stay as close as possible to United. Arbeloa was going forward and then we had some problems in defence that we wanted to protect better because that’s 20 clean sheets now.” Carragher said: “It was something in nothing. It happened in the heat of the moment. We have kissed and made up. It’s just one of those things that goes on from time to time. It’s forgotten.”

Manchester United saved the sparkle for afterwards. Fans may have appreciated the fireworks as the Premier League trophy was presented because there had been no pyrotechnics in the game itself. With the exception of the Arsenal supporters, everyone had craved the full-time whistle. Home supporters wanted the side to hold on to the necessary point and neutrals just yearned for the referee, Mike Dean, to put a stop to a hollow match.

It could be argued that the anxiety inside Old Trafford was extending a ­heritage of histrionics. The match programme on Saturday even contained a supplement recalling the agonising glories of 10 years ago. Then the team had to rally from 1–0 behind when victory over Tottenham was essential to take the Premier League title ahead of Arsenal.

Saturday’s re-creation of such a scene was as bogus as a theme-park castle. Arsène Wenger’s team were eager but blunt until they caused a stir near the end with Cesc Fábregas’s drive off the outside of the post. United, in any case, had a ­fixture at Hull left if they still needed to tie up the title. Phil Brown’s side have not had a league win at the KC Stadium since beating Middlesbrough on 6 December.

United’s horror of a meaningful game there would have been concerned with the disruptive effects on preparations for the Champions League final with Barcelona three days later. These are the rarefied ­circumstances in which Sir Alex Ferguson has installed United for the time being. Anyone seeking signs that they can be denied a fourth consecutive title will have been ambivalent about ­Saturday’s match.

Arsenal, who had five men booked, exuded a desire to show they will not go on being the also-rans they have been since taking the FA Cup in 2005, but their shortcomings were as apparent as ever. With Emmanuel Adebayor absent because of a groin strain, Robin van ­Persie confirmed that he is not a natural centre-­forward. Should Adebayor be sold, it will be a test for Wenger to come up with another attacker who scores regularly.

Apart from that, it is commonplace for Arsenal fans to argue that it is essential to get a centre-half and a holding midfielder who are dominant in those areas. Some who much appreciate Andrey Arshavin’s gifts also wonder if it made sense for Wenger to use £15m of his limited funds on the little Russian attacker when there were more pressing issues to be addressed. While Arsenal are just a few players short of excellence the vacancies, down the spine of the team, are tough ones to fill.

United are living in a sunny spell and possess just about everything they need. With the Old Trafford club about to equal Liverpool’s total of 18 League titles, it was easy to see why Rafael Benítez chose to play to the Anfield gallery last week with his suggestion that United are not necessarily the best team. That was the Spaniard’s way of reminding everyone that Liverpool had beaten them home and away. In their league fixtures with the rest of the top four Ferguson’s team have had only one victory, against a Chelsea line-up whose manager Luiz Felipe Scolari was soon to be dismissed . In the different context of the ­Champions League, United would show their superiority with the harrowing of Arsenal.

Benítez’s line of argument is, intrinsically, ridiculous. What procedure could be more rigorous than 20 sides meeting one another home and away over 10 months? The Liverpool manager can fault United, but he has explaining to do for his own side’s wavering in January, when they drew three consecutive matches, allowing late equalisers against Everton and Wigan. At a critical phase when they could have consolidated, Liverpool faltered.

Progress has been made at Anfield and they are a little nearer to supplanting Ferguson’s team. Even so, the reigning champions are adept at working to slender margins. United have often won by a hair’s breadth in their melodramatic history, but the difference in modern times is that they virtually do it on purpose. This is an ­outstanding line-up and, with few members approaching the end of their careers, these footballers may well go down as the greatest in the club’s history. The case might be unanswerable nine days from now if the Champions League is retained against Barcelona.

United, all the same, will never be content and nor, come to that, will their fans. They even booed Ferguson on Saturday for bringing on the industrious Park Ji-sung for the attacker Carlos Tevez. The Argentinian had a poor afternoon, when his dynamism had scant purpose or effect. If United will not pay a further £22m for him, with £10m already laid out, that stance looked rational at the weekend.

When Ferguson next showed ­caution, in stoppage time, with the midfielder Anderson ­taking over from Wayne Rooney, there was appreciation for the frittering away of a handful of moments. The manager and his squad neglected to lay on an extravaganza. Instead, they settled for ­displaying the prudent tactics, the efficiency and the steely character that makes them formidable.

Man of the match Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

OK, so he didn’t score four… but Andrey Arshavin was much more involved in open play at Old Trafford than he was at Anfield. Playing higher up the pitch, he was a constant thorn in Manchester United’s left side - making more passes in significantly fewer minutes on the pitch. Pity the opposition when he manages to combine both performances!

Look up Alf-Inge Haaland on the internet, and you will find a footballer whose entire career was defi ned by the savagery with which Roy Keane ended it. “Roy Keane cripples Alf-Inge Haaland”; “Roy Keane’s deliberate knee-high tackle on Alf Inge-Haaland”; “Roy Keane could be in hot water with the FA after revealing he deliberately injured Alf-Inge Haaland.” Or simply “Ouch”. Now turn to You Tube and watch it. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it still turns your stomach. Even more so when you know the history that preceded it. Keane flies in, boot raised to Haaland’s knee, set on one thing – destruction. With Haaland in agony on the ground, he stands over, taunting him. It’s an act of irredeemable brutality – a knee-capping the IRA would have been proud of.

Keane should not have been merely sent off, he should have been imprisoned for assault. He admitted as much a year later in his autobiography when he revealed that he set out to cripple Manchester City’s Haaland. The tackle has an almost equally vicious backstory. Keane was a brilliant footballer with an aggressive strain that marred him as man, player and manager. Haaland was a workaday defender/midfielder with a face like pastry, little discernible skill and a huge heart.

Four years before the knee-capping, Keane had fouled Haaland when the latter was playing for Leeds United, and in doing so he seriously damaged his own knee ligaments. With Keane writhing in agony, Haaland told him to get up and stop faking it. Not the wisest thing to say to Roy “Killer” Keane and it was inevitable that Killer would take his revenge. And when he did it was horrendous even by his standards. As Haaland had stood over him, he stood over Haaland telling him, somewhat less politely, that he had it coming to him.

Most terrifying of all, Keane was proud of his act of vengeance, and wanted the world to know that it was 100% deliberate. In his autobiography, he wrote: “I’d waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you cunt. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries. Even in the dressing room afterwards, I had no remorse. My attitude was, fuck him. What goes around, comes around. He got his just rewards. He fucks me over and my attitude is an eye for an eye.”

The Norwegian international never played a full match again, and retired in 2003. In the end it was his left knee that wouldn’t respond to surgery, but he always believed it was Keane’s tackle on the right that did for him. Keane was fined. Last year Haaland was interviewed about the incident. “Did that tackle end my career? Well, I never played a full game again, did I? It seems like a great coincidence, don’t you think?” Haaland, now a successful property developer, could not bring himself to mention Keane by name in the interview. Keane later fell out with Mick McCarthy, manager of the Ireland squad in 2002, then fell out with his Manchester United team-mates saying they lacked character, and most recently resigned from Sunderland when he lost the dressing room. He’s back in management now, at Ipswich.

• Ronaldo and Rooney are expected to be rested
• Ferguson’s friendship with Phil Brown is well known

Sir Alex Ferguson is to play a severely weakened team in Manchester United’s final league game at Hull City on Sunday in a move that could have hugely damaging repercussions for Newcastle United’s hopes of a last-day escape from the relegation zone. Alan Shearer’s team must get a better result at Aston Villa than Hull manage against the champions but ­Ferguson is giving serious consideration to leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in favour of Federico Macheda and Daniel Welbeck.

Ferguson is also planning a variety of other changes with Rafael da Silva, Darron Gibson and Tomasz Kuszczak possible starters, despite the controversy when he did the same on the final weekend of the 2006-07 season and his team lost 1–0 at home to West Ham United, a result that relegated Sheffield United and left the Yorkshire club’s manager Neil Warnock condemning what had happened at Old Trafford as leaving a “bitter taste” and making him feel “sick in the stomach”.

Warnock later revealed in his autobiography that Ferguson had rung him to say sorry, explaining that he had felt compelled to rest players for the FA Cup final the following week. The apology, however, did not work. “So much for the integrity of the Premier League,” Warnock wrote. “So much for fairness and justice in English football.”

Shearer insisted after Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday that he believed United would be “fair to the league” and “do football justice” but Ferguson has already decided that his priority is to rest players for the European Cup final against Barcelona in Rome three days later.

Newcastle are one point and one place below Hull. Sunderland are in 16th position, two points above Newcastle, but with two games to play, the first of which is at Portsmouth tonight. In a further twist, Sunderland’s opponents on Sunday are Chelsea, who could rest the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka ahead of the FA Cup final.

“I’d rather United didn’t have the Champions League final three days after playing at Hull,” said Shearer. “I’d also rather Chelsea didn’t have the FA Cup final six days after playing at Sunderland. But I’m not going to tell Sir Alex what to do – no way could I ever do that. I think when this particular situation has happened in the past he’s always been genuine and looked around the league and done what was right for everyone else and for his club.”

Shearer, who famously once rejected Ferguson and has never particularly got on with him, was asked whether he knew his old adversary was close to the Hull manager, Phil Brown, and had even been credited for getting him the Derby County job in 2005. Shearer smiled and nodded.

Brown, however, insists he expects “no favours” from a team that can break a club record by reaching 92 league points. “His [Ferguson’s] mind will be on the game three days later, that’s for sure, but you could sit down and pick up their squad sheet and name two great sides for the league, so it won’t be easy,” said Brown.

Ferguson acknowledged recently that he might have to make some unpopular decisions in terms of leaving out his better players but added: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it as long as a team represents a club in the right way and tries to win. That is the best way to do it.”

Brown added: “People are playing for their places in the Champions League final and I’m expecting a tough game, end of story.”

• Serbian wins both the fans’ and players’ awards
• Recognition for steadfast role at heart of defence

Nemanja Vidic’s contribution to a potential quadruple-winning season for Manchester United was recognised last night when he was named as the club’s player of the year during an awards ceremony at Old Trafford.

Vidic has played in 54 of United’s 64 games and been instrumental in the team conceding only 24 goals in the Premier League, including a record-breaking 14 consecutive league clean sheets.

The Serbian international centre-half won both the fans’ award and the players’ award.

Vidic has been a commanding presence at the back for United, despite a temporary aberration in the 4-1 home defeat against Liverpool. The 27-year-old recovered his form to help guide United to the title and Champions League final.

• Manchester United will win more trophies, says manager
• Cristiano Ronaldo ambiguous about move to Real Madrid

Sir Alex Ferguson has confronted the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo getting his “dream” move to Real Madrid by insisting that the world footballer of the year can win more trophies by staying at Manchester United.

Madrid have already put in place a provisional deal with the player’s advisers but Ferguson said Ronaldo should also consider that the Spanish club seem to be on the wane. “After Barcelona battered Real Madrid 6-2 our players were telling Cristiano that, if he goes to the Bernabéu, he’ll have to play centre-half,” said the United manager.

Ronaldo was given the opportunity to commit himself to United publicly after Saturday’s game but was ambiguous when asked about his future. “It’s brilliant, the atmosphere here is unbelievable, the supporters screaming, singing songs, it’s amazing. But the future, you never know.”

Ferguson, nonetheless, says there are no signs that the Portuguese international is unhappy in Manchester. “The indications I’m getting from the dressing room are that the other players don’t feel he’s behaving as if he’s discontented. He seems to be happy in his game and to know that he is at the right club. Obviously you can’t stop people pressing him with offers but we have handled that the best way we can. His contract with us runs until 2012 and we are in the driving seat.”

Madrid were humiliated by Barcelona in La Liga and suffered the embarrassment of a 5-0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals, fulfilling Ferguson’s prediction that they were “too slow” to win the European Cup.

The message from Ferguson is that Ronaldo can be more successful if he remains at Old Trafford and United’s chief executive, David Gill, struck a similar theme.

“In the dressing room after the [Ars­enal] game we had the [Premier League] trophy and any footballer would recognise that, in the short to medium term, he would have more chance of winning things at Manchester United than at Real Madrid,” said Gill.

Manchester United have opted not to ask the Premier League to give them an extra League winner’s medal for Federico Macheda. The rules say that players have to be involved in at least 10 games but United could have asked the league to take into account the 17-year-old’s winning goals against Aston Villa and Sunderland.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson are urged to “move on” from their rift by the League Managers Association.

• Old Trafford club seeking compromise with Kia Joorabchian
• Sir Alex Ferguson: ‘Original demands were unrealistic’

Sir Alex Ferguson can never have imagined he would hear boos on the day Manchester United pulled level with Liverpool on 18 titles. These, however, are peculiar times at Old Trafford. Mounted police dispersed some of the supporters who had gathered on the concourse to offer more voluble support for the man who had left the pitch draped in an Argentina flag and waving what looked for all the world like goodbye.

Earlier, Ferguson’s decision to replace Carlos Tevez with Park Ji-sung had turned the mood of impending celebration into one of open dissent. It is difficult, in fact, to remember any other Ferguson substitution in his 22½ years at the club ever getting such a response. As the manager took the microphone after the final whistle, there was the embarrassing phenomenon of him being drowned out by the now-familiar chant of “Fergie, Fergie, sign him up.”

The request is directed at the wrong man given that Ferguson has already informed Tevez that he would like to keep him and has also stated it publicly, as well as to the club’s chief executive David Gill and various members of the Glazer family. The key now is whether Gill, as United’s transfer negotiator, can reach a compromise with Kia Joorabchian, the man at the head of the mysterious consortium that owns Tevez’s economic rights.

The official stance from Old Trafford is that they want the deal to happen – but on their terms. Joorabchian is not so keen, largely because it would mean lowering the £32m fee that was provisionally agreed in 2007, when Tevez signed an initial two-year loan arrangement and United paid £10m with the rest to come if, as proposed, the club should want to turn it into a permanent deal.

What is clear is that United’s valuation of the 25-year-old player has now drastically changed, possibly by as much as a third. “Carlos has done well for us,” said Ferguson. “But the demands originally put to us were unrealistic. Like other clubs, we have to be aware of the consequences of the credit crunch. It’s no time to be careless about money. As far as Tevez is concerned, everybody would be best served by a willingness to compromise.”

Except Joorabchian made it clear to Gill during a meeting in London last Wednesday that he is not willing to budge. Tevez, moreover, has been described as “humiliated” that United no longer value him as highly as before.

“It is an unusual situation,” said Gill. “We had to pay a lease fee, or rental or loan fee, call it what you will, for two years, and now we have a fixed fee which we have to pay if we wish to take up our option to acquire Carlos. At which point we would own Carlos 100%. So it is unusual, but whatever happens to Carlos in the summer, that situation will be clarified. If we don’t manage to keep him and he goes to another club in the Premier League, that club will own him outright.”

Further talks are planned in early-June when Gill will also inform Joorabchian that United would like to stagger any payments rather than paying a lump sum. The deal will have to be “structured correctly,” he said. “We’ve assessed the squad, he [Tevez] has done very well, he’s made an impact in crucial games this year and, yes, we would like him to stay, but the actual economic situation needs to be clarified.”

In an interview on an Argentinian radio station last Friday, Tevez seemed to have lost his patience with the United hierarchy, saying they had “lacked respect” for him and that he had been “badly treated.”

“If he has said that, it is borne out of frustration but he has to understand that these are big decisions,” said Gill. “They are large amounts of money, and the timeline is perhaps not as quick as people want it to be. I just think it is frustration.”

SIR Alex Ferguson believes compromise is the only way to resolve the Carlos Tevez situation after branding the demands put to Manchester United as “unrealistic”.


The striker’s future has been under the spotlight with United fans urging the club to keep the Argentinian following the end of his two-year loan spell this summer.

SIR Alex Ferguson believes compromise is the only way to resolve the Carlos Tevez situation after branding the demands put to Manchester United as “unrealistic”.


The striker’s future has been under the spotlight with United fans urging the club to keep the Argentinian following the end of his two-year loan spell this summer.

CHIEF executive David Gill insists he has had no need to speak to Cristiano Ronaldo about his future at Manchester United and has reiterated the winger is not for sale.


Ronaldo’s future is consistently coming under the spotlight with Real Madrid linked to a move for the Portuguese.

CHIEF executive David Gill insists he has had no need to speak to Cristiano Ronaldo about his future at Manchester United and has reiterated the winger is not for sale.


Ronaldo’s future is consistently coming under the spotlight with Real Madrid linked to a move for the Portuguese.

CARLOS Tevez has accused United of showing him a lack of respect and confirmed he will not play for the new Barclays Premier League champions next season.


The striker’s future has become a hot topic, with United fans urging the club to keep the Argentinian following the end of his two-year loan spell this summer.

CARLOS Tevez has accused United of showing him a lack of respect and confirmed he will not play for the new Barclays Premier League champions next season.


The striker’s future has become a hot topic, with United fans urging the club to keep the Argentinian following the end of his two-year loan spell this summer.

• David Gill expects to clarify Carlos Tevez’s situation in June
• United chief executive confident Cristiano Ronaldo will stay

Manchester United’s chief executive David Gill has made his club’s position clear on both Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, saying United want to keep the former and expect to hold on to the latter.

Tevez had told the Argentinian station TYC yesterday that he expects to leave Manchester United, whom he claims have not shown him any respect, but Gill claimed he and the manager Sir Alex Ferguson want Carlos Tevez to stay, as long as they can secure an agreeable deal.

Gill told the BBC that United were discussing paying a fee of around £25m for the 25-year-old forward. “The actual situation will be cleared up in early June and without a doubt we will look at it,” he added. “We will assess the squad. He has done very well, come on and made an impact in some crucial games and we would like him to stay, but the actual economic situation needs to be clarified.”

Gill explained that United had paid a “loan fee” to Tevez’s adviser, Kia Joorabchian, for the past two years but have to decide now whether to pay a fixed fee at which point they would own Tevez and have a new contract with him.

However, if United do not agree a deal, Tevez could be offered to other clubs by the company which owns him.

And Gill claimed that he has had no need to speak to Ronaldo about his future, reiterating that the winger is not for sale, to Real Madrid or any other club.

“We’ve never had that discussion. There’s absolutely no point in having that discussion,” Gill said. “We made it clear last year he’s on a long-term contract with us and it’s never come up. He’s been fantastic both on and off the pitch throughout, he’s supported us in what we want to do commercially and he’s been a model professional. He is not for sale. He’s a great player and he’s part of our club.

“I’m sure the Spanish press will start rumours and start that whole process going again. There’s a [presidential] election as we know at Real Madrid and we’ve seen it all before with many of our players over the years, and that will happen.

“But we’re not prepared to use the papers in that way at Manchester United and I think we’ve got to be confident that Cristiano will stay. He’s had an excellent season, he didn’t score as many goals as last year but nonetheless is the top scorer in the Premier League; he is a fantastic player.

“All we know is you just have to see our dressing room after the game yesterday, after we win a trophy. Footballers want to win things and I think any footballer would recognise he has much more chance of winning things, certainly in the short to medium term, at Manchester United than Real Madrid.”

When asked whether the Tevez staying was linked to whether Ronaldo leaves, Gill insisted: “No, not at all.”

FORMER United defender Steve Bruce believes it is going to be difficult to challenge the Old Trafford club’s dominance.


Speaking after the Red Devils secured the Barclays Premier League title after a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal, Bruce paid tribute to his old club.

FORMER United defender Steve Bruce believes it is going to be difficult to challenge the Old Trafford club’s dominance.


Speaking after the Red Devils secured the Barclays Premier League title after a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal, Bruce paid tribute to his old club.

• Manchester United’s manager says demands are unrealistic
• Sir Alex Ferguson confident Cristiano Ronaldo will stay

Sir Alex Ferguson believes that a settlement over Carlos Tevez’s future with Manchester United can be reached if the player’s representatives are willing to compromise on their “unrealistic” demands. However Tevez told the Argentinian station TYC last night that he had not been shown respect, that he does not like the way the club is run and that he is likely leave this summer.

Ferguson added that he believes Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club and that Barcelona will present a more difficult challenge than Chelsea in Wednesday week’s Champions League final.

“The demands originally put to us [to make Tevez’s loan permanent] were unrealistic. Like other clubs, we have to be aware of the consequences of the credit crunch,” Ferguson told the Sunday Times. “It’s no time to be careless about money. As far as Tevez is concerned, everybody would be best served by a willingness to compromise.”

Tevez told TYC: “I know that I am not going to continue at Manchester United. I feel that they have lacked respect towards me. It’s not about whether they pay £5m more or £5m less, but I feel I have been badly treated.

“There are ways in which the club is managed that I don’t understand. When you don’t agree with the manager in how the club is run … I don’t have faith in a lot of things that happen here.”

Ferguson’s other major staff concern this summer will be Ronaldo, who has consistently been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but the United manager claimed his club are “in the driving seat”.

He said: “The indications I’m getting from the dressing room are that the other players don’t feel he is behaving as if he’s discontented. Obviously you can’t stop people pressing him with offers, but we have handled that the best way we can. His contract with us runs until 2012 and we are in the driving seat.”

United meet Barcelona in Rome on 27 May, when they will attempt to become the first side to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990. Ferguson believes the Spanish side will present more of a danger than Chelsea, who were seconds away from victory in the semi-final.

“Chelsea would have presented the more straightforward challenge, one we’ve learned how to deal with over the past year or two,” he said. “The way Barcelona operate their midfield makes it very difficult to get the ball off them. I don’t think [Andres] Iniesta and Xavi have ever given it away in their lives.

“They get you on that carousel and they can leave you dizzy. Your concentration levels can’t be allowed to falter for a second. But, with the right tactics, their game is containable.”

Manchester United have not ruled out paying the £25.5m required to sign striker Carlos Tevez on a permanent deal, says chief executive David Gill.

• ‘I know that I am not going to continue at Manchester United’
• Argentinian says he has ‘no faith’ in what happens at the club

Carlos Tevez has accused Manchester United of showing him a lack of respect and confirmed he will not play for the new Premier League champions next season.

The striker’s future has become a hot topic, with United fans urging the club to keep the Argentinian following the end of his two-year loan spell this summer.

But a deal has so far not been agreed, with Tevez also unhappy at the amount of time he has spent on the bench this season.

The 25-year-old told the Argentinian TV station TYC: “I know that I am not going to continue at Manchester United. I feel that they have lacked respect towards me. It’s not about whether they pay £5m more or £5 less, but I feel I have been badly treated.

“There are ways in which the club is managed that I don’t understand. When you don’t agree with the manager in how the club is run … I don’t have faith in a lot of things that happen here. I’ve been here for two years and the directors have never come to speak to me. Not once have I had a meeting with them.

“Therefore, it’s best that I leave the club so as not to clash with [the manager] Alex Ferguson and the directors. Neither do I understand why I don’t play in the team.

“I’ve asked [my adviser] Kia [Joorabchian] not to speak to me about offers during the next 10 days. I want to concentrate only on the final matches that we have to play. Afterwards, I’ve got a month to take a decision and choose where to go.”

Tevez was tearful as he waved to the fans after the 0–0 draw with Arsenal which secured their third successive title. “It’s emotional,” he said. “I like Manchester and I like the fans. But maybe it is goodbye. It is very difficult.”

As Manchester United conquer again, their manager dreams of more trophies and glory

Sir Alex Ferguson, 67 and with his grandchildren around him, could have been forgiven for thinking of retirement. But as his players celebrated behind him after winning Manchester United’s 11th league title under his managership, Ferguson was adamant: “I will carry on as long as my health allows me.”

His words will reverberate through football, not least in Liverpool. Ferguson has made it his life’s mission to blast the Liver bird off its perch. As United drew level with Liverpool yesterday by notching up an 18th league title, Ferguson reaffirmed his status as the most successful club manager in the history of the British game when the Premier League title stayed at Old Trafford for the third successive season. Ominously, he talked about the special moment when they get one more league title than Liverpool.

Parity was achieved with a nil-nil draw against Arsenal, another rival broken in recent years by United’s power. Ferguson, a working-class son of Glasgow, now has a chance to equal the former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley’s haul of three European Cup wins when United confront Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome next week.

Paisley’s trio of European conquests from 1977 to 1981 is one of the few targets left for Ferguson, who won the illustrious prize in 1999 and 2008. Liverpool, meanwhile, will cling to the knowledge that they have captured five European Cups to United’s three. However, the total of 18 English championship wins has been a psychological barrier between the clubs since Liverpool virtually annexed the league in the 1970s and 1980s.

Within minutes of the latest championship win, Ferguson was shaking the hands of every player in the squad as they waited before collecting the trophy in front of more than 70,000 fans. And he was on the pitch with them as captain Gary Neville lifted the trophy and the fans sang “Glory, Glory Man United”.

Ferguson has won 21 major trophies since taking over at an under-achieving club with an infamous drinking culture in 1986. His dictatorial nature is in the tradition of great Scottish managers, but his eye for talent and insatiable appetite have lifted him above other legends: Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Paisley and Brian Clough, who won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest.

Eleven Premier League titles have fallen to Ferguson in an era of intense concentration of wealth at the elite end. United are no longer assailed by the likes of Forest, Ipswich Town or even Aston Villa, as Liverpool were before they won the most recent of their 18 championships in 1990. They have had to grapple with Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, who have challenged their status as the repository of beautiful football; with Roman Abramovich’s wealth at Chelsea; and with a resurgent Liverpool. With Steven Gerrard and the Spaniard Fernando Torres inspiring a renaissance, Liverpool will be frantic to prevent United forging ahead next season with a 19th league crown.

Clough remains the romantic’s choice as number one managerial genius for turning a provincial English club into double European champions. Shankly is credited with laying the foundations for Liverpool’s self-perpetuating dominance before the Hillsborough disaster and the TV revolution prepared the ground for the rise of the Premier League, with its Hummer-driving one-man corporations and global celebrities.

Ferguson spans these eras. His is comfortably the most impressive of managerial resumés, eclipsing even Busby, whose faith in youth and an attacking ethos was revived by his fellow Scot. Ferguson’s earliest Premier League winning sides were modelled broadly on the Busby Babes, with David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes assuming the roles of Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards. Ferguson’s European Cup win in 1999 matched Busby’s in 1968; his second, against Chelsea in Moscow last May, defused the charge that he was a better manager in England than in Europe.

The best reason for the neutral to applaud Ferguson is that United have remained true to their artistic manifesto. He has never wavered in his belief that United’s task is to find and cultivate creative talent, whether on the streets of Manchester (Giggs, Scholes), London (Beckham), in France (Eric Cantona) or in Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo). Talent spotting is Ferguson’s primary skill. His second is a fierce and autocratic style.

“Don’t even think about letting this club down,” he once told his players before sending them out at Old Trafford. Intimidation is an obvious weapon. More subtle is his ability to persuade his players they are an outpost of nobility and excellence besieged by enemies.

These qualities are admired around the world. Victory in Rome might yet tempt him to walk away, but the United-Liverpool score is 18-18, which may be too tantalising for him to resist. Just one more?

A life in football

Sir Alex Ferguson, born 31 December 1941, Glasgow.

1957: Starts amateur playing career at 16 with Queen’s Park.

1964: Turns professional with Dunfermline Athletic.

1967: Joins Rangers for a record Scottish transfer fee of £65,000.

1969: Moves to Falkirk before finishing playing career with Ayr United.

1974: Appointed manager of St Mirren, winning the first division title in 1977.

1978: Moves to Aberdeen FC and European Cup Winners’ Cup glory in 1983.

1986: Moves to Manchester United. Goes on to make football history.

What his rivals say

Arsène Wenger (Arsenal manager):
“Nobody has done better. It is remarkable to have such a consistent motivation at that level - and deal with the stress and all the other ingredients.”

José Mourinho (Former Chelsea manager, now at Inter Milan):
“I call him boss because he is the manager’s boss. He’s the top manager in the country. Maybe when I become 60, the kids will call me the same.”

Rafael Benítez (Liverpool manager):
“Ferguson is killing referees.”

“When you talk about United you’re talking about a side spending big, big money on every player, every season. For me that is the main difference between the teams.”

As Manchester United conquer again, their manager dreams of more trophies and glory

Sir Alex Ferguson, 67 and with his grandchildren around him, could have been forgiven for thinking of retirement. But as his players celebrated behind him after winning Manchester United’s 11th league title under his managership, Ferguson was adamant: “I will carry on as long as my health allows me.”

His words will reverberate through football, not least in Liverpool. Ferguson has made it his life’s mission to blast the Liver bird off its perch. As United drew level with Liverpool yesterday by notching up an 18th league title, Ferguson reaffirmed his status as the most successful club manager in the history of the British game when the Premier League title stayed at Old Trafford for the third successive season. Ominously, he talked about the special moment when they get one more league title than Liverpool.

Parity was achieved with a nil-nil draw against Arsenal, another rival broken in recent years by United’s power. Ferguson, a working-class son of Glasgow, now has a chance to equal the former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley’s haul of three European Cup wins when United confront Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome next week.

Paisley’s trio of European conquests from 1977 to 1981 is one of the few targets left for Ferguson, who won the illustrious prize in 1999 and 2008. Liverpool, meanwhile, will cling to the knowledge that they have captured five European Cups to United’s three. However, the total of 18 English championship wins has been a psychological barrier between the clubs since Liverpool virtually annexed the league in the 1970s and 1980s.

Within minutes of the latest championship win, Ferguson was shaking the hands of every player in the squad as they waited before collecting the trophy in front of more than 70,000 fans. And he was on the pitch with them as captain Gary Neville lifted the trophy and the fans sang “Glory, Glory Man United”.

Ferguson has won 21 major trophies since taking over at an under-achieving club with an infamous drinking culture in 1986. His dictatorial nature is in the tradition of great Scottish managers, but his eye for talent and insatiable appetite have lifted him above other legends: Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Paisley and Brian Clough, who won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest.

Eleven Premier League titles have fallen to Ferguson in an era of intense concentration of wealth at the elite end. United are no longer assailed by the likes of Forest, Ipswich Town or even Aston Villa, as Liverpool were before they won the most recent of their 18 championships in 1990. They have had to grapple with Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, who have challenged their status as the repository of beautiful football; with Roman Abramovich’s wealth at Chelsea; and with a resurgent Liverpool. With Steven Gerrard and the Spaniard Fernando Torres inspiring a renaissance, Liverpool will be frantic to prevent United forging ahead next season with a 19th league crown.

Clough remains the romantic’s choice as number one managerial genius for turning a provincial English club into double European champions. Shankly is credited with laying the foundations for Liverpool’s self-perpetuating dominance before the Hillsborough disaster and the TV revolution prepared the ground for the rise of the Premier League, with its Hummer-driving one-man corporations and global celebrities.

Ferguson spans these eras. His is comfortably the most impressive of managerial resumés, eclipsing even Busby, whose faith in youth and an attacking ethos was revived by his fellow Scot. Ferguson’s earliest Premier League winning sides were modelled broadly on the Busby Babes, with David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes assuming the roles of Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards. Ferguson’s European Cup win in 1999 matched Busby’s in 1968; his second, against Chelsea in Moscow last May, defused the charge that he was a better manager in England than in Europe.

The best reason for the neutral to applaud Ferguson is that United have remained true to their artistic manifesto. He has never wavered in his belief that United’s task is to find and cultivate creative talent, whether on the streets of Manchester (Giggs, Scholes), London (Beckham), in France (Eric Cantona) or in Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo). Talent spotting is Ferguson’s primary skill. His second is a fierce and autocratic style.

“Don’t even think about letting this club down,” he once told his players before sending them out at Old Trafford. Intimidation is an obvious weapon. More subtle is his ability to persuade his players they are an outpost of nobility and excellence besieged by enemies.

These qualities are admired around the world. Victory in Rome might yet tempt him to walk away, but the United-Liverpool score is 18-18, which may be too tantalising for him to resist. Just one more?

A life in football

Sir Alex Ferguson, born 31 December 1941, Glasgow.

1957: Starts amateur playing career at 16 with Queen’s Park.

1964: Turns professional with Dunfermline Athletic.

1967: Joins Rangers for a record Scottish transfer fee of £65,000.

1969: Moves to Falkirk before finishing playing career with Ayr United.

1974: Appointed manager of St Mirren, winning the first division title in 1977.

1978: Moves to Aberdeen FC and European Cup Winners’ Cup glory in 1983.

1986: Moves to Manchester United. Goes on to make football history.

What his rivals say

Arsène Wenger (Arsenal manager):
“Nobody has done better. It is remarkable to have such a consistent motivation at that level - and deal with the stress and all the other ingredients.”

José Mourinho (Former Chelsea manager, now at Inter Milan):
“I call him boss because he is the manager’s boss. He’s the top manager in the country. Maybe when I become 60, the kids will call me the same.”

Rafael Benítez (Liverpool manager):
“Ferguson is killing referees.”

“When you talk about United you’re talking about a side spending big, big money on every player, every season. For me that is the main difference between the teams.”

The class of 08/09 might not be the best of Ferguson’s Manchester United teams but it is the best squad

It took two Manchester Uniteds to draw level with Liverpool’s 18 league title wins. Two, because more than ever Sir Alex Ferguson needed a deep reservoir of talent to hold off the Anfield revival, Chelsea’s wealth and power and the fragile beauty of Arsenal.

An Arsenal side, that is, who threatened to send United to Hull and back next weekend in pursuit of Ferguson’s 11th Premier League honour. If relief swept Old Trafford at the end of an artless game it was because a defeat to Arsène Wenger’s men might have forced the defending champions to travel to the KC Stadium on Sunday in need of a point, four days before a Champions League final against Barcelona in Rome.

United’s cathedral was in triumphalist mode long before this anxiety-ridden 0-0 draw. Fans arrived in Roman centurion hats and verses of Que Sera, Sera floated through the stands. But the final conquest was about as clear-cut as Carlos Tevez’s answer to a question from Sky about whether he wanted to remain a United player next year. “Very difficult”, smiled El Apache, in his Argentina shirt.

The story of United’s campaign, though, is not the loss of talent but its relentless acquisition, as Gary Neville testified on the pitch. Neville spoke of “the quality and depth of the team, all 20 players”, and pointed out that Federico Macheda, the 17-year-old Italian super-sub, “could have won the league for us, and he’s not even getting a medal today”.

The big-match stalwarts of Ferguson’s latest creation have carried them over the line, as big-match stalwarts always do. Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra the centre-half pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand (injured yesterday), Cristiano Ronaldo, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney: these were the prime-time warriors in a season when United, curiously, won only one of their six games against fellow members of the league’s immutable Big Four.

Around this core spun a constellation of older heads (Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes et al) and understudies who will offer imperilled Hull no rest on Sunday. Tevez is generally one of those invaluable back-up men, as are Park Ji-sung , Anderson, John O’Shea, Nani, Danny Welbeck and the precocious Macheda, whose stunning late goal in the 3-2 win over Aston Villa on 5 April helped jolt United out of a trough. Six days later Macheda struck again in a 2-1 win at Sunderland.

The debate about which has been the finest of Ferguson’s championship-winning teams will fill the hours on flights to Rome. But this is surely his best and most well-balanced squad: a fact that reflects clever planning and the immense wealth of the club. This was United’s 64th game of the season. A weaker squad might have buckled under the pressure of Liverpool’s pursuit. Here we see the value of investing in young talent as well as of late-season experience. United have won 18 of their last 21 Premier League matches while scooping up the Carling Cup and a place in the final of the European Cup, which they won in Moscow last year.

You wait 26 years for a league title and 11 come along at once. United’s walk through the wilderness was even longer than the minimum 20 years Liverpool will have spent watching rivals claim a prize that was once on permanent show at Anfield.

Coronation No18 was the one Sir Alex Ferguson has worked towards since he took his Aberdeen team to Liverpool in the 1980s and witnessed their power. Recently he recalled: “We were sitting in the dressing room at half-time, 2-0 down, and one of my players said: ‘Come on lads, two quick goals and we’re back in it.’ They’d only conceded 19 goals in three years at home. It was a great Liverpool team then.” Aberdeen lost 4-0.

Cut to yesterday, where United finished playing 4-5-1, with Ronaldo alone up front, to resist strong Arsenal pressure. Crushed, like Wenger’s team in the title race, is all talk of retirement. Ferguson threatened to go on for five more years and is clearly animated by the thought of inflicting a 19th league title win on Liverpool. “It’ll make it more special if we get in front of them,” he said. “We’ve got a young team, and next year we’re going to go for it again.”

Amusingly, he picked out the 1-0 win at Stoke on Boxing Day as a turning point. United had just returned from winning the Club World Cup in Japan, after which their supporters had chanted “bring on the Martians”.

Only a first-team squad assembled over many years and with great skill could have advanced so successfully on so many fronts. Ferguson affirmed that point after yesterday’s game, declaring: “I could have picked two teams today.” Now we await Liverpool’s response.

The pendulum shifted Manchester’s way almost as soon as Kenny Dalglish’s side had won the last of the Anfield club’s 18 titles, 19 years ago this month. Graeme Souness’s three-year reign greased the chute, and not only because he sold the story of his triple heart bypass to The Sun in an article that appeared on the third anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

On the Kop, those days are synonymous with Paul Stewart and Torben Piechnik. And while Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard all emerged in the 1990s, Liverpool fans also have sharp memories of Julian Dicks, Neil Ruddock, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Phil Babb and the infamous Sean Dundee (five games, no goals), regarded by many as the all-time biggest Liverpool dud.

Since the last of the Boot Room boys (Roy Evans), Liverpool have tried to rebuild through the mass importation of French (Gérard Houllier) and Spanish (Rafa Benítez) expertise. They are closer than ever to returning to the summit but will have to make the right moves in the transfer market this summer to cancel out the improvements United themselves are bound to make.

Through all those 19 years, United have built a succession of title-winning sides, all of which evolved into the next one, as Liverpool’s used to do. Between 1991-92, for example, Ferguson bought Peter Schmeichel from Brondby, Steve Bruce from Norwich, Dennis Irwin from Oldham and Eric Cantona from Leeds while the FA Youth Cup winning golden generation were fed into the first XI. Then came Roy Keane, Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rooney, Carrick, Vidic and so on. These acquisitions have formed an almost perfect continuum.

Ryan Giggs was there in 1993, when United ended a 26-year wait for the title, and he was there again yesterday, slower, greyer and with a hint of a bald patch around his crown, but no less integral to the team’s evolution over a decade and a half.

By the end, the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, whose global profile is probably higher even than Ronaldo’s, was holding a camcorder to his own delighted face. Twenty-four hours after teaching Ronaldo how to run better, Bolt radiated the innocent joy of a schoolboy seeing wonders for the first time.

This is some spell for Ferguson to have cast over 23 years, and there is still the biggest clash of all to come in Rome. To Liverpool fans, of course, it is a diabolical brand of magic.

• Delight, despair and all points in between
• To take part in the Verdict, email fans@observer.co.uk

Bolton Wanderers v Hull City

Adam Orr, Observer reader It was a bit of a nothing, end-of-season game for us. We played well in the first half, but once we conceded, I don’t think we had another shot on target, which isn’t really good enough against a team third from bottom. We need a new input of players in the summer. This is the first Premier League season when we haven’t had anything to play for at the end – either getting into Europe or battling relegation. In some ways, it’s nice to have the pressure off, but it is a bit boring.

Player ratings Jaaskelainen 10; Steinsson 8, Shittu 6, Cahill 7, Samuel 7; Taylor 7 (Riga 82 5), Muamba 6 (Basham 82 6), McCann 7, M Davies 6; Elmander 7 (Makukula 89 5), K Davies 7

Rick Skelton, HullCityOnline.com It was important to get our destiny back in our own hands and it was a good point in that sense, but it really should’ve been all three. We had five or six seriously good chances to win the game. I don’t really fancy Newcastle or Middlesbrough to win next week, but I’m concerned Newcastle will get a point to go above us on goal difference. A lot will depend on what sort of team Man United put out – at least Manucho can’t play against them. He was absolutely awful.

Player ratings Myhill 7; Ricketts 7, Turner 8, Kilbane 7, Dawson 7; Garcia 8, Boateng 10, Barmby 8 (Marney 71 7), Geovanni 7 (Cousin 76 6); Fagan 9, Manucho 5 (Halmosi 81 7)

Everton v West Ham United

Steve Jones, BlueKipper.com It was great – we played really well, champagne football. We started OK in the first half but never had a shot on goal, more knocking around – then they scored a wonder goal. It must have been 35 or 40 yards out, just a good shot. I’m chuffed that Saha got the two goals and it was great for his confidence. The second half was easy football and Moyes could make a few substitutions – it realy went to plan . Absolutely outstanding, a carnival atmosphere. On to Wembley.

Player ratings Howard 7; Jacobsen 7, Yobo 7, Lescott 7, Baines 8; Osman 6, Neville 6; Cahill 7 (Jô 80 6), Pienaar 8; Fellaini 8 (Rodwell 69 6); Saha 9 (Vaughan 80 6)

Indra Morris, Observer reader A lacklustre performance – the opening 20 minutes passed without incident. The most interesting thing about the game was the state of Fellaini’s haircut, which is something to behold. He looks like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards. Our goal came out of nowhere. We lacked energy and precision. Everton defended quite deep but were always looking to push forward and won by the same scorline as the corresponding fixture at Upton Park.

Player ratings Green 6; Neill 6, Tomkins 6, Upson 6, Ilunga 6; Collison 6, Noble 6; Kovac 6 (Stanislas 67 6), Boa Morte 6, Tristan 6 (Cole h-t 6); Di Michele 6 (Spector ht 6)

Manchester United v Arsenal

Tony Kaye, Observer reader It was nail biting until the end. They had the best of the play, as we struggled to find our stride and wasted a few chances. Ronaldo had an iffy game against Wigan and continued that form here. Any other time in the season this would have been a bad result but, put into context, a point was all we needed. Next week, I think Fergie will rest players who will figure in the Champions League final. I’d take £70 million-plus for Ronaldo in the summer. No player is bigger than the club.

Player ratings Van der Sar 7; O’Shea 8, Vidic 8, Evans 8, Evra 9; Fletcher 7, Carrick 7, Giggs 7; Ronaldo 7, Tevez 7 (Park 67 8), Rooney 8 (Anderson 90 7)

Ben Lover, Observer reader First, congratulations to United on winning the league; they were the best team going forward over the season and had a strong defence. Their players knew that all they needed was a draw which made it a dull game of few chances. Arsenal had most of possession, but lacked the killer ball in the final third. We need two players this summer: a combative midfielder – which will allow Cesc Fàbregas to play his natural game with greater freedom – and a commanding centre-half.

Player ratings Fabianski 6; Sagna 6, Touré 7, Song 7, Gibbs 7 (Eboué 77 6); Nasri 6 (Walcott 68 6), Denílson 7, Fábregas 7, Diaby 7, Arshavin 7 (Bendtner 68 6); Van Persie 7

Middlesbrough v Aston Villa

Andy Morgan, ComeOnBoro.com Same old problem: there was little leadership on the pitch or the sidelines, and, like many times this season, when in front, we couldn’t score that all-important second goal. On paper, Boro aren’t a bad side but tactics and motivation have been an issue. We’ve got to remain positive as there’s a very remote chance of retaining our Premier League status. But we’re looking for a miracle . From Uefa Cup final to potential relegation in three years. Southgate has a lot to answer for.

Player ratings Jones 9; Bates 6, Wheater 5, Huth 6, Hoyte 7; Johnson 8, O’Neil 7 (Walker 73 6), Arca 7, Downing 8 (King 24 3); Tuncay 9; Emnes 8

Joe ‘Marvellous’ Wood, Northwest Villa fans Villa were all right today, but Martin O’Neill got the tactics all wrong. He played Milner at right- back and then Heskey, Carew and Agbonlahor all up front. There was no balance. It didn’t make sense. Heskey is a donkey and O’Neill is too stubborn to see it. He plays him just to make a point. We had a pretty good season, but we don’t have enough players. Next season Randy Lerner has to splash the cash and O’Neill has to buy quality. Petrov has been my player of the season.

Player ratings Friedel 6; Milner 8, Davies 7, Cuéllar 7, Shorey 6; Petrov 7; Barry 7, A Young 8 (Reo-Coker 71 5); Heskey 4, Carew 8, Agbonlahor 6

Newcastle United v Fulham

Tom Harbord, YorkshireMags.co.uk Until they scored we were marginally the better team. Fulham looked a good side on the ball – at times it felt they had three or four extra players on the pitch . The sending-off seemed a bit harsh. When you’re at the bottom of the league these kind of decisions seem to go against you. I’m not 100% sure why our goal was disallowed. Bassong and Martins showed commitment. Butt and Duff were past their best when they joined the club.

Player ratings Harper 5; Beye 6, S Taylor 6, Bassong 7, Duff 4; Guthrie 6 (R Taylor 62 5), Butt 4 Nolan 5, Gutiérrez 5; Martins 8, Viduka 7

Jamie Ruszczynski, CravenCottageNewsround.wordpress.com This was a brilliant result for us given the scenario of Newcastle being desperate for points. For long periods we were in control and, although we weren’t at our best, I never really thought we were going to concede. Kamara played really well, linking up well with Nevland, and it was his pace that led to the sending-off. Schwarzer has made a huge difference for us in goal this year. We’re on the brink of Europe – an amazing achievement by Roy Hodgson.

Player ratings Schwarzer 8; Pantsil 8, Hughes 7, Hangeland 8, Konchesky 7; Gera 6, Murphy 7, Etuhu 6, Dempsey 8; Nevland 7 (Johnson 75 6), Kamara 8

Stoke City v Wigan Athletic

Nick Dunn, Observer reader For all the party atmosphere, the first half was lacking in excitement. Both teams had nothing to play for and some of the players were guilty of having their minds on the summer. But things were a lot different after the break. Both sides played with a higher tempo and pushed forward. It was good to finish the season on a high after being written off by so many at the start of the campaign. I was surprised how few fans travelled from Wigan. Amdy Faye’s performance was excellent.

Player ratings Sorensen 8; Shawcross 8, Cort 7, Ab Faye 9, Wilkinson 7; Lawrence 8, Whelan 8, Delap 7, Etherington 7; Fuller 8, Beattie 8

Mark Ashurst, Observer reader It was embarrassing in the second half. We had 41 points in March and here we are in May with only 42, having played lots of teams in the bottom half of the table. One or two players need to ask questions of themselves and so possibly does the manager, Steve Bruce. How did Paul Scharner end up playing up front when we had a perfectly good striker sitting on the bench? Mido did come on later but it was all over by then. Only Titus Bramble emerged with any credit.

Player ratings Kingson 5; Melchiot 6, Boyce 6, Bramble 7, Figueroa 6 (Edman 81 5); Cho 6 (Watson 58 6) , Scharner 5, Brown 6 (Mido 73 5), Cattermole 7, N’Zogbia 6; Rodallega 7

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

Alan Fisher, My Eyes Have Seen the Glory The game turned on two Huddlestone long-range passes in the first half – Defoe scored from the first. A draw would have been a fair result … but I couldn’t believe how unmotivated City players were. Assou-Ekotto is the most improved player in the Premier League, but Robbie Keane today was beyond derision. Ledley King was impeccable and the crowd was behind him … but if the players can’t impose self-discipline it has to be done for them, so the club’s right to have a strong reaction.

Player ratings Gomes 7; Corluka 7, Woodgate 7 (Hutton 46 7), King 8, Assou-Ekotto 8; Huddlestone 7; Modric 6, Jenas 7 (Zokora 67 6), Keane 4; Pavlyuchenko 3 (Campbell 75 6), Defoe 7

Kevin Cummins, Observer reader In the first half we played like we didn’t have a clue, but in the second we were penetrative and should have won the game. A lot of the players looked as though they’re playing for their futures elsewhere. We do not even know if the manager will be here next season – which is the usual end-of-season uncertainty for City. I wish the owners would come out and say Hughes is staying, because we need stability. We can’t be saying these same things this time next year.

Player ratings Given 7; Richards 7, Dunne 6, Onuoha 8, Bridge 6; Kompany 6, De Jong 9; Ireland 7, Elano 5 (Zabaleta■ 32 5), Petrov 5 (Bojinov 61 7); Caicedo 5, (Benjani 61 5)

The shortness of Eric Cantona’s fuse had been well established by the time Manchester United met Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on a clear January evening in 1995 needing a win to overtake Blackburn at the top of the Premier League. So it was no great surprise when, early in the second half, the Frenchman reacted to a challenge from Richard Shaw by aiming a kick at the Palace defender. He was promptly sent off. Plus ça change. But then, as Cantona was being escorted past the Main Stand by United’s kit man, he suddenly leapt into the crowd with a kung-fu kick worthy of Bruce Lee. The object of his rage was a 20-year-old self-employed glazier, Matthew Simmons, who had rushed from his seat to hurl abuse at the United player. Simmons was later fined £500 for threatening language and behaviour. For the moment, however, Cantona held centre stage.

Enter Jean Pearch, a former music teacher, a mother of three, and the chairperson of Croydon Magistrates who now earned her 15 minutes of fame by jailing Cantona for a fortnight after he had pleaded guilty to common assault. Eight days later the sentence was reduced to 120 hours’ community service. Cantona mystified the ensuing press conference when giving his reaction to the sentence by saying only that: “when the seagulls follow the trawler it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.” Presumably he felt the assembled hacks were akin to gannets. At least it made a change from vultures.

Hoping to pre-empt any punishment handed out by the Football Association, Manchester United banned Cantona for the rest of that season and were furious when the FA extended it to the end of September. Graham Kelly, the FA’s chief executive, described the Frenchman’s behaviour as “a stain on our game” but there were many among the general public who supported Cantona’s response to the verbal assault he had received from Simmons.

Without Cantona’s inspiring presence Manchester United, having drawn 1-1 with Palace, lost the Premier League title to Blackburn but regained it on his return. He then captained United against Liverpool in the 1996 FA Cup final and scored the goal that completed the double.

Of the kung-fu incident Sir Alex Ferguson said that “over the years since then I have never been able to elicit an explanation of the episode from Eric, but my own feeling is that anger at himself over the ordering-off and resentment of the referee’s earlier inaction combined to take him over the brink.” At least Cristiano Ronaldo confines himself to the occasional pout.

We’ve trawled the archives for the best soundbites of the league season.

Ryan Giggs was delighted to clinch his 11th title at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand says equalling Liverpool’s title record gives extra satisfaction.

Cristiano Ronaldo was overwhelmed after clinching his third league title.

WHEN plain old Alex Ferguson walked into Old Trafford back in 1986 his main ambition was expressed with typical Glasgow grit.


“To knock Liverpool off their perch,” growled Ferguson, with expletives deleted.