Fergie must sell before buying, says Kenyon

MANCHESTER UNITED boss Alex Ferguson will not be allowed to expand his squad this summer even though he has complained it is too weak to compete properly in Europe.

Last month, Ferguson suggested he only had 18 outfield players to choose from, which left him at a significant disadvantage compared to the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid and Juventus.

However, despite announcing a 32% increase in profit before player disposals in the six months to January 31, chief executive Peter Kenyon said he will not sanction any transfers unless the squad size is maintained.

While United's impressive financial state clearly means there will be no problems raising the cash to bring in new faces, Ferguson will be forced to unload players too.

"It is fair to say that if Sir Alex wants to buy someone, he will have to sell someone else," said Kenyon.

"The reality is that you can only field 11 players at one time and we have 24 in our squad, which, when it is supplemented with some of our younger players, we feel is the right number to get through 70-plus games a year.

"What we have consistently said is that we will not bring in players just to sit on the bench."

After drawing a blank in his search for new faces during the January transfer window, Ferguson has been linked with numerous names in recent weeks as his summer recruiting campaign begins to take shape.

Sunderland's David Bellion and Rennes' French U-21 full-back Julien Escude are both out of contract during the summer and have previously been targeted by the United chief, while West Ham's Freddie Kanoute and Auxerre's Djibril Cisse have both been highlighted as having the potential to fill Ferguson's vacant fourth striker's berth.

Portuguese U-21 star Ricardo Quaresma is reported to be another target thanks to Red Devils' assistant boss Carlos Quieroz's links with Sporting Lisbon.

Of the potential departures, veteran defender Laurent Blanc is almost certain to quit, long-serving David May is unlikely to be given a new deal when his contract expires at the end of the season, while Luke Chadwick will probably tie up a permanent move to Reading if he can inspire them to success in the First Division play-offs.

Whatever changes Ferguson makes though, he will not be repeating his £29.3m British record plunge for Rio Ferdinand, which seems a startling sum given the recent collapse in transfer values.

Having consolidated their clear lead in the financial league table, Kenyon admitted the Old Trafford club are one of few who have the cash available to launch such a deal and he is adamant they will not be doing it. The only negative note in yesterday's announcement was the actual dip in overall profit to £20.3m, which arose purely as a consequence of United not selling any of their key men, as they did with the departures of Jaap Stam and Andy Cole 12 months previously.

Even that statistic would be rectified if Ferguson opted to axe either Ryan Giggs or David Beckham from his squad, as has been mentioned in recent times.

England skipper Beckham yesterday restated he was "honoured" by the interest shown in him by Champions League quarter-final opponents Real Madrid. Kenyon though remains phlegmatic about the rumours.

"It's the kind of speculation that will run until the start of next season," he said. "As always, we will sit down with Sir Alex towards the end of the season and evaluate our requirements."