United’s quest for Audi Cup glory begins on Wednesday evening, but the Reds will ride into battle without club captain Gary Neville.

The 34-year-old tweaked a groin in Seoul last week, cutting short his involvement on the Asia tour and ruling him out of the two-day tournament in Munich. Although he’d much rather be in Germany lining up against the likes of Boca Juniors and either AC Milan or Bayern Munich, Neville’s prescribed rest has at least given him plenty of time to think.

In an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com, the club captain talks about defeat in Rome, losing Cristiano Ronaldo and his own ambitions for 2009/10…

What’s your take on last season? Are you disappointed by events in Rome or proud of winning an 18th title?
I think the best way to describe it was that it was a great season tinged by disappointment. In 25 years when people look back on last season it will be seen as a tremendous success. The problem at this club is that the standards are so high that losing a European Cup final just isn’t acceptable. We just need to put that out of our minds now and try and move on.

How do you bounce back from losing a major European final?
What the experience told us is that we’re good enough to reach consecutive finals, which is something we haven’t done in the past. In the last three years we’ve been to two finals and reached the semi-final stage, so that’s not too bad. You can’t win everything all the time. In Rome we came up against a very good Barcelona team and we didn’t play as well as we know we can. That was disappointing but we’re realistic and we know it’s not the end of the world. Now we’re desperate to reach the final again and put right what happened in Rome.

What would you say to those suggesting United have been weakened by the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez?
A short-sighted observer who perhaps hasn’t followed United over the last 20 years will say that we won’t be able to recover, but I’ve always found big-name departures present an opportunity for somebody else to step up to the plate and deliver. I think that’s what will happen this season. You might see a slightly different style of football and you’ll definitely see players coming to the fore.

Will Chelsea provide the biggest challenge for the league this season?
They’ll be right up there, for sure. But I think Liverpool and Arsenal are just as strong. Manchester City have obviously spent a lot of money and they’ll be looking to be competitive, as will Aston Villa. But there’s no doubt Chelsea are a strong team and will push us all the way.

What are the goals for this season?
Ultimately I want the club to be successful and to win trophies. On a personal level I just want to stay fit and contribute to the team as much as possible.

James Robson

July 29, 2009

SIR Alex Ferguson has admitted that he did not use Dimitar Berbatov to his full potential last season.

The former Spurs hitman, who cost Fergie a record £30.75m, looked impressive on United's tour to the Far East - scoring twice and showing a developing understanding with new strike partner Michael Owen.

And now the United boss reckons he has worked out how to get the very best out of the enigmatic Bulgarian.

Fergie knows the Old Trafford jury is still out on the laidback striker, but remains adamant that his star man is ready to shine.

"I expected the form we've seen from Berbatov," he said. "Last season was a strange one for him and maybe we didn't use him in the right way. We know exactly how to use him now - further up the pitch, playing as a centre-forward."

Fergie was a staunch supporter of his record-signing last season, despite his inconsistent form.

Berbatov scored just nine goals in the Premier League - most of them coming against teams in the bottom half of the table.

His tame penalty miss saw United lose the FA Cup semi-final to Everton in a shoot-out and he was notably named only as a substitute in the semi-finals and final of the Champions League.

His first-team place would have come under significant threat from Karim Benzema had Fergie successfully landed his No1 target this summer.

But Owen's pre-season form also suggests he could push Berbatov hard this season which can only be good for United and their fans.

July 28, 2009

UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson has backed his club to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo and questioned whether Real Madrid's squad has the right balance to challenge for Champions League glory.

United sold Ronaldo to Real for £80million earlier this summer, with the Spanish giants also spending huge sums to bring in Kaka from AC Milan and Karim Benzema from Lyon.

The spending was prompted by the re-election of Florentino Perez as Real president. He was criticised in his first term for building a side containing sublime talent in some areas but lacking quality and experience in others, particularly in defence.

Ferguson sees a similar pattern emerging again, a view shared by his Milan counterpart Leonardo.

"I understand all too well that losing 26 goals from a winger is hard to replace, but we will try because it is the nature of our club that the expectations never change whether you have Ronaldo or (Antonio) Valencia," Ferguson said.

"I would not like to be (Real coach Manuel) Pellegrini picking his teams."

Ferguson joked: "I told Ronaldo when he left us that they will probably be playing him at centre-half; I don't think they have one.

"It is difficult with all their individuals to pick the right balance and that is part of it."

Leonardo, whose Milan side are involved alongside United in the four-team Audi Cup in Munich, must also cope without Kaka but is also hoping Real's 'galacticos' policy will come unstuck.

Talented

Talking about the first term under Perez, he said: "They did not win so much in the end. It is not easy to construct a team with talented individuals.

"To create a team, you need something more and we hope Real Madrid don't have that. Sometimes you need more than talent to win."

A small fraction of the Ronaldo transfer fee was reinvested to sign Valencia from Wigan, and he is expected to feature against Boca Juniors on Wednesday (kick-off 5.30pm).

Ferguson has attempted to play down expectations surrounding the Ecuador star, who he believes will need time to settle in at Old Trafford.

"He has the potential and we hope he will develop and will become a star of tomorrow," he said.

"Valencia is a player we watched throughout last season.

"He is young, athletic, has good power and I think, at the age of 23, he can develop at our club."

United face Boca Juniors before playing either Bayern Munich or AC Milan in Thursday's final or third-place play-off.

Ferguson added that he had done his homework on the South American opponents via late-night television.

"If you can't sleep at three in the morning in England, then you can see Boca," he said. "And I don't sleep at three so I have seen them many times.

"They are one of the best teams in South America. We had a very competitive game with them at Old Trafford three years ago."

Sir Alex Ferguson has defended his "punt" on signing Michael Owen from Newcastle this summer after the striker made a promising start to his Manchester United career.

Owen has scored four goals in as many games since joining the Red Devils in a shock move from Tyneside and Ferguson expects more of the same this season in a gamble which may well pay dividends.

"He is a natural goalscorer and his record is fantastic," said the Scot.

"He is 29 now and he has just got to stay the way he has been for 10 years."

The England frontman's injury woes have grabbed most of the attention over the last four years, but Ferguson believes if he can stay fit and agile - as he has been in pre-season so far - he could well turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer.

The 29-year-old should make his next appearance in a United shirt in Wednesday's Audi Cup clash with Boca Juniors, a game which will be staged in Munich's Allianz Arena.

Should he figure in that fixture and play again against either Bayern Munich or AC Milan on Thursday, six games in 12 days would suggest his injury problems are a thing of the past.

"His injuries have always been the main subject and that is probably why everyone in Europe was not after him," continued the United manager.

"We don't think we have taken a risk, given his record as a goalscorer.

"It is a good punt, or a good bet on him to do well, and hopefully we are right."

Owen has been given the number seven jersey at Old Trafford and, even if he can only score half as many as the last bearer of that shirt, his signing will be regarded as a success.

Cristiano Ronaldo, United's former number seven, scored 26 times last season and Ferguson admits Real Madrid's new signing is the new standard bearer in world football.

"Ronaldo is fantastic - the best player in the world - and we wish him well," he said.

"He has given us six great years and it is difficult to hold onto players from other countries for that long.

"We were lucky. I never expected to have him for more than six years.

"The move to Madrid was something he wanted and we thought we should grant him that. He was great for us, never let us down and was a great professional.

"He will do well next year."

Ferguson will take his first close look at the man earmarked to take Ronaldo's position in his side next season, Antonio Valencia, but there will be no sight of former Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves just yet.

Hargreaves was the first player to score a goal in a competitive match at the Allianz Arena when he netted here for the Bavarians in August 2005.

But his career, like that of Owen's, has been dogged by injury recently and Ferguson does not want to do anything which may jeopardise him making a complete recovery from two knee operations - not even for reasons of nostalgia for the Canada-born 28-year-old, who spent a decade growing up in Munich.

"Hargreaves will not play in this tournament," he said.

"We had hoped he would be joining us, but he is still in his programme of rehabilitation.

"He has had major operations on both knees and we are not rushing that.

"He is young enough to come back once he is fully fit, but we are not rushing him."

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves may have to be put his comeback from injury on hold.

The 28-year-old has had operations on both knees in the past year in a bid to cure tendinitis and there were hopes he would be back at the end of September.

But Hargreaves, whose last game was in September 2008, is out of the Audi Cup in Munich, which raises new concerns.

"We had hoped he would be joining us but he is still in rehabilitation," said United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

"He has had major operations on both knees and we are not rushing that."

Hargreaves is currently in the United States being treated by renowned knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman.

The England international will be desperate to reignite his United career, having only started 25 times for his club since a £17m move from Bayern Munich in July 2007.

It has been a frustrating spell at Old Trafford for the Canadian-born midfielder, who last played for United in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 21 September 2008.

Hargreaves had surgery on his right knee last November and on his left knee in January, with the procedures carried out under the guidance of Steadman.

The leading surgeon has previously operated on former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, new United signing Michael Owen and ex-Red Devils forward Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is now at Real Madrid.

Hargreaves' rehabilitation has had to be a long and delicate process, with BBC Sport revealing in June that he could be forced to quit top-level football in the next two years if the chronic knee problem were to persist.

His condition, patellar tendinitis, can be described as inflammation of the tendon that attaches the quadriceps (thigh muscle) to the tibia (shin bone).

Hargreaves may not have joined the United squad in Germany but centre-half Nemanja Vidic and summer signing Antonio Valencia have travelled to Munich.

Vidic appears to have recovered from an ankle injury he picked up playing for Serbia in June, while winger Valencia - seen as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Real Madrid - needed to go back to Ecuador to gain a UK visa following his move from Wigan.

Ferguson also revealed that new signing defender Gabriel Obertan would miss the first three months of the season with an injury that was already known about when he signed from Bordeaux.

Owen Hargreaves has been forced to delay his return to training with the rest of his Manchester United team-mates.

The England midfielder made just three appearances early on last season before being forced to undergo surgery for tendinitis in both knees.

Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson had already admitted that he did not expect the former Bayern Munich ace to return to action until September.

The Scot had hoped that Hargreaves would be able to link up with the Premier League champions to train with his team-mates as they prepare for the Audi Cup in Germany.

But that plan has now been scuppered and Ferguson was unable to put a time-scale on when the Canada-born 28-year-old would be back in action.

The United manager admitted: "Hargreaves will not play in this tournament.

"We had hoped he would be joining us, but he is still in his programme of rehabilitation.

"He has had major operations on both knees and we are not rushing that.

"He is young enough to come back once he is fully fit, but we are not rushing him."