United rule out making panic buys

Manchester United will not be rushed into signing new players to make up for their dismay at being ditched by Ronaldinho.

Alex Ferguson and Old Trafford chief executive Peter Kenyon put on a united front as they attempted to brush aside their disappointment at the collapse of a deal which has been pieced together over the past five months.

While Ferguson was insistent his team’s trophy chances would not be affected by the Brazilian’s decision, Kenyon defended United’s policy of pursuing transfer targets, which has aroused suspicion more than once in recent times.

And, as he blasted back at PSG president Francis Graille’s verbal assault on the club, Kenyon also stated no-one was ready to start pushing the panic button in the hunt for new recruits, ruling out completely any chance of a last-ditch bid to sign Blackburn’s Damien Duff.

“We are not depressed about the situation because we believe we are in good shape,” said Kenyon.

“What we won’t do is buy just for the sake of it – it is not what the fans want to see.

“There has been no approach for Damien Duff and there won’t be. He is due to sign for Chelsea and we are not in for him.

“We feel let down by Ronaldinho but we have to move on. There was a growing concern about whether he wanted to play for Manchester United and no matter how much ability they have, unless the player is committed to the team it is a bad signing.

“The Champions League transfer deadline doesn’t kick in until August 31, so we will be sitting down during this trip and assessing where we are.

“If we start the season with what we have got, nobody would be disappointed.”

Kenyon’s comments were echoed by his manager, who addressed the issue after an open training session at the impressive Nike Campus in Portland which attracted over 5,000 enthusiastic supporters.

In blistering 90 degree heat, the Red Devils went through an easy morning.

Looking fit and healthy himself, Ferguson, who won his eighth Premiership title last May, was in reflective mood.

“I am disappointed but not overly so,” said Ferguson, who also laughed off suggestions that a move for Newcastle’s Kieren Dyer was now imminent.

“I didn’t know what the boy was thinking because we only had one discussion and he doesn’t speak very good English.

“We got to the point where we wondered if he wanted to play for us or not and we have proved when we missed players in the past that it never stops us.”

Of the new recruits, only David Bellion is with United’s 20-man party. Eric Djemba Djemba has been given extra time off, along with French duo Fabien Barthez and Mikael Silvestre, following his Confederations Cup exertions with Cameroon, while Tim Howard will link up with the squad next Thursday ahead of a scheduled debut against Juventus in New York on July 31.

By then, the dust may have settled on the Ronaldinho debacle, just in time for United’s tour climax against his new club Barcelona.

While some may argue United allowed the transfer talks to drag on too long, Kenyon has been angered by accusations of arrogance from PSG president Francis Graille, who also claimed Barthez was offered to the French side as a makeweight in a potential deal.

“We are not arrogant and I am amazed at the insinuation that Fabien Barthez was offered in any deal because that is not the way we do them,” he said.

“I completely refute the suggestion we made one offer verbally and went back with a much lower offer in writing. We don’t conduct our business like that and we have enough standing with major European clubs for other people to recognise that.

“Where we finished up was not a derisory offer and could not be construed as insulting. If the player had wanted to come to Manchester United he would have done so.”

Instead, the 23-year-old opted for Barca, becoming the second player this summer – after Harry Kewell – to turn down a Red Devils switch in favour of a rival who didn’t even have the lure of Champions League combat to offer as bait.

“You have got to be a special player to play for Manchester United,” said Kenyon.

“What we offer is a major stage, Champions League opportunities, a huge success factor in terms of picking up medals and financial guarantees.

“The regime is strict but it produces what most players want – a winning formula. Mentally you have to be tough enough to stand it.

“You have to ask the question why they wanted to go somewhere else and you can take that how you want.”