We have it all to prove, says under-fire Rio

RIO FERDINAND has admitted Manchester United enter the new campaign with plenty to prove after finishing last season empty-handed.

United finished last season without any silverware for only the fourth time since they began their phenomenal trophy-winning run under Alex Ferguson in 1990.

And, with champions Chelsea strengthening a squad which finished 18 points in front of United in May, prospects of an immediate about-turn in fortunes look bleak.

Ferdinand is convinced there is enough quality within United's ranks to provide a far greater challenge to Chelsea than they managed last term. But with tomorrow's Champions League qualifier against Debrecen and Saturday's opening-day Premiership trip to Everton looming, the England defender acknowledges his team-mates have a few questions to answer.

"Any season without a trophy is a bad one," he said. "We want to be in contention for every tournament we enter. We want to uphold the proud traditions of this club, which is about winning trophies. Now, it is down to the players to prove to the manager, the coaches and fans that we are good enough."

With energetic midfielder Park Ji-Sung and veteran Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar bolstering their ranks, United arguably boast a much stronger squad that they did 12 months ago.

However, they are also beset by internal conflict. Those supporters not aggrieved by Malcolm Glazer's £790m takeover are likely to be among the number who will boo Ferdinand at Old Trafford tomorrow as negotiations over a lucrative contract extension continue to prove inconclusive.

However, while there have been suggestions Ferdinand could yet be sold before the August 31 transfer deadline if he continues to stall over signing a £100,000-a-week deal - that scenario is highly unlikely.

One of the benefits of Glazer taking United into private ownership is the lessening of pressure to maximise income.

So, while David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid two years ago when then chief executive Peter Kenyon faced a similar situation to the one his successor David Gill is squaring up to now, United can afford to hang on to Ferdinand, even though they know his value will start to plummet as he approaches the final year of his current contract, which expires in 2007.

For his part, the £29.1m capture from Leeds insists he wants to stay with United and remains focused on making sure United play a far more prominent role in a title race he also expects to include Champions League winners Liverpool.

"I expect Chelsea and Arsenal to be up there, plus Liverpool, who will have gained lots of confidence from what happened in the Champions League final," he said.

"But we have to concentrate on ourselves, and that means hitting the ground running, which we didn't manage to do last year. The days of us saying we will make up lost ground after Christmas are over. Chelsea and Arsenal have raised standards over the past two years and we have to rise to them from day one.

"The manager said we lost the title on the first day last season when we lost at Chelsea and I agree with him. We cannot afford to be playing catch-up again."