Sir Alex Ferguson has launched an extraordinary attack on Manchester City, labelling United's big-spending neighbours 'stupid and arrogant' and a 'small club with a small mentality'.
Clearly angry at City's attempts to portray themselves as rivals for silverware this season and as Manchester's 'real' club, in particular by celebrating the capture of United striker Carlos Tevez on a huge city centre billboard, Ferguson dismissed their chances of reaching even the top four this season.
And he claimed that their new £25million striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, had actually been offered to United and Chelsea after he had agreed the deal to leave Arsenal for City, whom he believes are attracting players mainly because they are paying big wages.
Ferguson's attack on City came in an interview during United's four-match Far Eastern tour which ends with a game in China today. United believe the thousands of fans who have been flocking even to watch them train confirms that they are still the biggest club in the world, despite the riches now available to City manager Mark Hughes after the takeover by Sheik Mansour.
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Calling City's decision to plaster one side of a building on Manchester's central Deansgate with a huge poster of Tevez proclaiming 'Welcome to Manchester' - United's stadium is sited in the adjacent Borough of Trafford - 'stupid and arrogant' Ferguson said: 'It's City isn't it? They are a small club, with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United, that's all they've done and they can't get away from it.
'It is a go at us, that's the one thing it is. They think taking Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff. I thought he would go to City a long time ago.'
Ferguson agrees that City's spending has added spice to the coming season, but he claims that Mark Hughes's expensively assembled team will still struggle to break up the big four of United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. He picks out the Gunners, however, as the club most likely to concede ground.
'City will want to be challenging for the top four, but it won't be easy,' said Sir Alex. 'That top four has been established for quite a while.
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'You don't expect Liverpool or Chelsea to fade. But the one who has the challenge is Arsene (Wenger). He has a big task at Arsenal because I know he doesn't have the money and how he uses the �25m from selling Adebayor to City will be very interesting. I don't look upon City as my biggest challengers. For all the buying they have done, they still have to pick a team with balance.
'That won't be easy for Mark (Hughes). What's he got, 10 strikers?
So, if he picks a squad to go to Chelsea, he has to leave seven behind, or five at least. He has to deal with that. It will not be easy.'
Ferguson questioned Adebayor's move to City, claiming that the Togo striker had wanted to join Chelsea or United but was persuaded by the money on offer at Eastlands.
'He was desperate to get to Chelsea and he was desperate to get to us,' said Sir Alex. 'You ask why is he going to City and it can only be for one reason.'
Ferguson, with at least some of the �80m from selling Ronaldo at his disposal, did not regard joining the summer spending spree as a priority. 'I think it has been a crazy summer,' he said. 'If you get the value, OK. But paying£50m for David Villa or £55m for Sergio Aguero does not seem sensible.'
But, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Ferguson, in his
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68th year and about to begin his 23rd full season as United manager, does admit he is anxious over the champions' potential lack of firepower.
He may try to remedy that problem by bringing Wayne Rooney in from the wide position that has, at times, frustrated the man Fabio Capello intends to build his England attack around for next year's assault on the World Cup.
'Where do we get the 26 goals that Ronaldo gave us?' said Ferguson. 'That is a concern because I don't have a young Paul Scholes or a young Ryan Giggs who can give me 15-plus goals from midfield areas. We'll have to redirect our play and push Rooney through the middle.
'Last season was a lot to do with Dimitar Berbatov coming to the club and trying to understand what he was best at. You have to utilise what you have available.
'Some games Rooney did play wide left and in some matches it worked, but in others it was not a good position for him to be in. We will change that.'
The United manager's need to fill the Ronaldo void will mean his fellow Portugal winger, Nani, being given the opportunity to establish himself in the team.
'Nani will improve,' said Ferguson. 'He has not got the maturity of Ronaldo, but he will improve.
'I expect Darren Fletcher to establish himself as a big player in our squad. Owen Hargreaves is coming back, Michael Owen will get me goals and Dimitar Berbatov will be much better.
And I don't have to deal with certain players who are miserable because they are not playing.
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