Sneijder at United? Forget it, says Fergie
With Luka Modric and Samir Nasri seemingly bound for Chelsea and Manchester City, should they leave Tottenham and Arsenal this summer, Sneijder appeared the most obvious replacement for Paul Scholes.
Even though Ferguson denied having any current interest in the Dutch midfielder on Thursday, there has still been plenty of speculation about a deal, including a claim that shirt manufacturers Nike may get involved to push it through.
However, when asked about Sneijder in Seattle yesterday, Ferguson’s response was blunt.
“Forget it,” he said. “We are looking at some things but I am not so sure Sneijder will be easy to get.”
If Ferguson has turned elsewhere, the options are not extensive. Germany powerhouse Bastian Schweinsteiger has been mentioned and this weekend Valencia’s Juan Mata also come into the frame.
However, quality control at a side that has won four Premier League titles out of the past five and reached three Champions League finals in four attempts means most are dismissed as a waste of time.
“I could pick three or four players to come in but they wouldn’t be good enough for us so there is no point,” said the Scot.
United’s squad still includes Dimitar Berbatov, even though United’s record signing has been the subject of intense debate since Ferguson did not even find a place for him on the bench to face Barcelona in the Champions League final in May.
The Bulgarian spent that unhappy evening in tears in the bowels of Wembley Stadium, barely able to comprehend his agony. Ferguson has not spoken to Berbatov about his decision, which looks even more damning when assessed alongside the knowledge that the man chosen in his place, Michael Owen, remained on the bench throughout the 3-1 defeat.
However, the United manager has not detected any lingering issues from a situation he feels is more commonplace now due to the massive squads big clubs have to operate with.
“Dimitar is fine,” said Ferguson. “There is no problem. He has trained very hard.
“He was disappointed to be left out of the final but I was disappointed myself having to tell him. But that is the problem in football today.
“You get to the big games and you are not just disappointing one player, you are disappointing six or seven.”
The United boss is preparing to send Manchester United on a Champions League revenge mission.
Throughout the summer, Ferguson has been forced to endure analysis of May’s final, when Barcelona brilliantly ripped his team apart.
Ferguson is confident United will rise to the challenge Barcelona represent. “Barcelona are the team of the moment,” he conceded. “They can dominate any game and could have probably done that to any other team.
“But it is not the kind of thing that makes you think ‘let’s not bother with European football any more, we are never going to beat Barcelona’.
“Manchester United are bigger than that. We have a better philosophy.’’
The United boss meanwhile feels Andre Villas-Boas has been presented with “an enormous challenge” after being installed as the new Chelsea manager.
Villas-Boas became the Blues’ fifth manager in four years this summer, replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who was dropped just one season after securing the domestic double.
Considering the huge demands made by owner Roman Abramovich, it represents an extraordinary leap of faith from the mega-wealthy Russian.
Villas-Boas only has two seasons of top-flight experience in the Portuguese Liga behind him — his performance at Porto last season was impressive considering he won three trophies, including the Europa League, and Portugal’s domestic title by 21 points.
And at just 33, he is the same age as some of the players he has taken charge of at Stamford Bridge.
“It is a big step for Chelsea and an enormous challenge,” Ferguson said.
It took the Scot back to the start of his own career almost four decades previously.
That was at East Stirling, where Ferguson was employed on a part-time basis and collected just £40 a week — his first task being to find himself a goalkeeper because the Scottish minnows did not have one.
“I was 32 when I started but I was managing a wee Second Division team in Scotland,” Ferguson said.
“All I had was a physio. I had no assistant manager or anything like that.
“He has the advantage, irrespective of his age, of having the staff he wants to have.
“It is a strong possibility he will have enough staff to overcome that type of move.”
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