Sir Alex Ferguson has branded Manchester City ‘cocky’ ahead of Sunday’s titanic clash at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United manager hit out at his local rivals after their 100 per cent start to the season and warned opposite number Mark Hughes he must win the Barclays Premier League to justify his £200million spending spree.
Sir Alex predicted that the most eagerly-anticipated meeting of the clubs in years would be explosive — something which seems inevitable in the wake of a no-holds-barred interview he gave to an American radio station.
On the offensive: Fergie has shown the blue side of Manchester little respect
Ferguson also claimed City striker Emmanuel Adebayor got what he deserved in being banned for three games after stamping on Arsenal’s Robin van Persie.
Ferguson said: ‘The rivalry has gone up a notch in the last few months, with them signing all those players and then coming up with that advert and all their posters about Carlos Tevez. They’ve been a bit, how can I put it, cocky. Yes, a bit cocky. They’ve got seven centre forwards now, which is crazy, just amazing.
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‘But when you have spent that amount of money, and the wages they are paying, you have to win the league with that kind of investment. That’s where the difficulty will
come for them.
‘It’s going to be very difficult for them to win the league when you see ourselves, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal because they’ve got to beat the four of us at some point to get the league.
‘It’s very difficult to get into the top four and it’s even more difficult to get into the top one — and that’s what this league is all about, being No 1.’
City go into Sunday’s match ahead of United in the table, having won all four of their games — against Blackburn, Wolves, Portsmouth and Arsenal.
Ferguson told Sirius XM Radio: ‘They have had a softish start to the season, with two or three easier games.’
United will be at full strength this weekend, barring the absence of the suspended Paul Scholes, as they look to build on wins against Besiktas in the Champions League, and Tottenham and Arsenal in the Premier League.
Asked about Adebayor’s challenge last Saturday on Van Persie, Ferguson said: ‘It was surprising behaviour. I couldn’t believe it. He was very aggressive, the boy.’
And then asked what he would do if one of his players had behaved like that, he added: ‘I’d take them into a dark room.’
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