Le Havre have refused to back down in their transfer row with Manchester United.

The French outfit are insistent that United broke transfer rules when they snapped up 16-year-old Paul Pogba.

United were quick to hit back at Le Havre, and Sir Alex Ferguson told them to retract their comments.

But chairman Jean-Pierre Louvel says there will be no apology from the Stade Jules Deschaseaux, and he claims that they are pushing ahead with their case.

"It is corruption of a young player, he was under contract," Louvel told L'Equipe.

"Threats won't make us step back. Our lawyers will submit the case to Fifa, we will go until CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) if needed.

"Pogba had to sign a trainee contract, but he didn't do it, and his parents didn't want to.

"Now he has no licence to play at Manchester, and FFF (French Football Federation) didn't give him a letter of release, which means there is a problem.

"The big clubs can't act that way. The player has been lost, but we expect sanctions to protect our education."

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed it is unlikely that Wayne Rooney will ever captain Manchester United.

The 23-year-old forward has expressed his desire to skipper the Old Trafford side in the future, but Ferguson said he prefers defenders or midfielders to lead out the team.

"It's difficult for a forward to be captain," United boss Ferguson said in The Sun.

"Eric Cantona was because he was such an influence to young players, they idolised him. But normally you look at midfielders and defenders.

"Wayne will always take responsibility, he has a natural desire for that and will always give 100 per cent."

Rooney is expected to have more of a key role for the Red Devils this season, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and Ferguson believes the best is still to come from the England international.

He added: "When players reach 25 they play with authority and bring calmness to their game."

Dimitar Berbatov is relishing returning to White Hart Lane on Saturday - but insists he made the right choice by joining Manchester United.

The Bulgarian striker was a favourite at Spurs before he switched to the Red Devils last summer.

The 28-year-old has since struggled to re-capture the sort of form which earned him his big money move, but he insists the switch north was for the best.

Speaking ahead of the Saturday tea-time clash between the two sides, Berbatov told The Sun: "I enjoyed my time there (at Spurs) and the fans were very good to me.

Impossible

"But when you hear a club like Manchester United are interested and you have the chance to play in the Champions League, it is impossible to say no.

"I have ambitions and at my age it was the right time to try and achieve those."

The striker is full of praise for the support he has received from his family, revealing that he decided to leave Spurs after a conversation with his grandfather in his allotment.

Berbatov added: "I credit my success to my mother. Her prayers and support are everything to me.

"I know all she does for me and I know nothing I do can ever pay back the amount of support she has given me.

Important

"My grandparents are very important too, my grandfather is a very wise man and a great man to talk to.

"When I am home in the summer I will go to his allotment and help him dig, then we will take the fresh produce home to my grandmother and she will make the most wonderful food.

"The allotment has been the place for some great chats and it was there where we talked about me moving to a club where I could win major trophies and I asked him what he thought about Manchester United."

Sir Alex Ferguson expects Owen Hargreaves to be back in action for Manchester United by early November.

The United boss has targeted a return for the influential midfielder in the UEFA Champions League game against CSKA Moscow on 3rd November.

The England midfielder has been plagued by a serious tendinitis problem in recent seasons and has had to undergo operations on both knees.

He has been rehabilitating in America over the summer but is expected back at United's Carrington training complex on 23rd September.

The club now believe he should be fit enough to play in their last three Champions League Group B games and Hargreaves has been included in the 25-man squad for the elite competition ahead of Zoran Tosic and Ritchie De Laet.

Ferguson said: "The difficulty was around what we should do with Owen Hargreaves, whether or not to put him or Zoran in the squad.

Dilemma

"It was Owen or Zoran or Ritchie de Laet. It was a dilemma. But we came down on the side of Hargreaves because having taken the medical advice we think he will be available for the last three Champions League games.

"We came down on the side of Hargreaves because, having taken the medical advice, we think he'll be available for the last three Champions League group stage games.

"He's a versatile player who can perform in so many positions, so he could be a very important player for us at that time of the season. That was the reason.

"It is disappointing for Zoran but there is nothing we can do about it. There have been others left out."

United next play Harry Redknapp's Spurs in the Premier League on Saturday and Ferguson expects a tough battle against a side whom he believes can challenge for a top four spot this season.

Realistic chance

Ferguson said: "They have a realistic chance of breaking into the top four.

"They and Man City have had good starts and those two are ahead of the rest of them at the moment.

"Harry bought Wilson Palacios from Wigan and I thought that was a good signing to bring that steel into midfield. They have really started well and there's a good degree of experience in the squad."

Rio Ferdinand could be in contention for his first competitive match of the season in the game, while Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia may start on the bench after a long journey back from international duty in Bolivia, where he scored in a 3-1 win to give his country a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup.

Ferguson added: "Valencia was playing in Bolivia so he'll probably arrive back in November!"

"Just think of a player playing a game in Bolivia on a Thursday morning and expected to be playing at Tottenham on a Saturday, but that's what happens now."