Carrick produces perfect riposte

A DAY that began with an escalation in the spat with one of his most trusted central midfielders ended with Alex Ferguson reassured by the performance of another.

Ferguson was clearly irked by Roy Keane’s claim that Manchester United “got what they deserved” when they exited the Champions League against Basel, responding by questioning Keane’s own managerial career before returning to a theme of disloyalty in recentprogramme notes.

The former United captain continued the exchange in a Sunday newspaper interview yesterday, suggesting Ferguson’s loyalty towards Keane himself had not always been what it seemed and pointing out the Scot’s managerial success had been built on the back of players like him.