Pre-season Transfer Speculation & Rumours(2010)

[Phil-M.U.F.C.]

Fergie - Berba going nowhere
Languid striker staying but Rooney to miss start of season

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has rubbished claims he will cut his losses on Dimitar Berbatov this summer.

Speculation has been rife that £30.5million signing would be heading out the Old Trafford exit door after two disappointing seasons at Old Trafford.

AC Milan and Bayern Munich are reported to be interested in Berbatov but Ferguson insists the 29-year-old forward has a Red Devils future.

Asked if the Bulgarian would be sold, he said: "No, he will not - definitely not. There's a problem with Manchester United in terms of expectation and media attention.

"There's speculation every year and we've got to live with that hype. We know Dimitar is a good player and he will be with us next year.

"We don't have a great deal to improve on. The one area of concern last season was that we had 16 players missing through injury."

Rooney

It looks like Berbatov is going to play a leading role at the start of next season after Ferguson revealed Wayne Rooney is unlikely to be fit for the first month of the 2010-11 campaign.

The United boss believes the World Cup will take so much out of a host of first-team members, including his star striker, that he will not consider them for the opening matches of the new campaign.

Like the rest of the Red Devils' eight-strong contingent on South Africa duty this summer, Rooney will not go on this summer's pre-season tour of the US and Canada, which starts just two days after the final.

"My plan is to start the season with the squad that we take on tour," said Ferguson.

"We like to give the players some rest, and so we intend to start next year without the players who are at the World Cup, though there are not so many of them this year."

Glazers
Ferguson has also defended the Glazer family, rejecting claims the United owners' huge debt repayments had affected his ability to compete in the transfer market.

"They've been great owners," added the 68-year-old. "They've supported me in every way I've asked them and there's no reason to think they've not done so.

"Any time we have wanted a player, they've provided the money.

"What people forget is that we have spent £20million on young players this season, including Chris Smalling, Mame Biram Diouf and Javier Hernandez

"We have always seen our future as based on young players developing at the club.

"We did it with Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson and Antonio Valencia, and we do not need to change that structure.

"But because we're signing young players, not big showpiece signings, they think we are not moving. People do not recognise how we see our future."

source: skysports.com

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Pissed off about this to be honest, would love for Fergie to offload him.