Ferguson has work to do

Alex Ferguson will head to South Africa this week with Manchester United’s rebuilding plans in chaos and his face still ringing from the slap Cristiano Ronaldo so publicly delivered in Stuttgart last night.

Just hours after Ferguson confidently predicted he would be able to ease the tensions created by Ronaldo’s controversial exploits at the World Cup, the 21-year-old exited the tournament restating his desire to quit Old Trafford, scalding his manager and chief executive David Gill in the process.