Ferguson criticises Fulham over Saha saga

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has blamed Fulham for the furore over striker Louis Saha.

Fulham manager Chris Coleman accused United of bullying tactics in their bid to land the Frenchman and insisted that the player will not be leaving during the January transfer window.

As a result Saha criticised Coleman in the French press, claiming that he was “appalled” by the manager’s refusal to sell him and saying that he wanted to move to Old Trafford. He also suggested that his disappointing performance in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by Middlesbrough may have been a result of the uncertainty.

Ferguson claims Fulham made the problem worse by going public with the news of United’s offer.

Ferguson said: “We sent them a letter marked private and confidential and they gave it to the Press.

“I spoke to Chris Coleman about the boy at the start of the season and left it there. I never said another word.

“Then we sent them a letter, containing our bid, signed by (chief executive) David Gill, not by Alex Ferguson.

“We did everything right. By sending a letter we did it professionally. There won’t be another bid. We don’t want any fights. Fulham seem determined to keep the boy so there is nothing we can do about that.”