Alex Ferguson has aimed another barb at Rafael Benitez ahead of tomorrow's clash at by claiming the Chelsea interim manager is overly concerned about his CV, while also stating that despite the majority of managers sharing a post-match drink with him at Old Trafford the Spaniard has done so only once.
Benitez reopened his feud with the Manchester United manager when the pair met in the drawn FA Cup quarter-final in March, claiming Ferguson had refused to shake his hand after the match.
Ferguson said: “I don’t know where he is getting that from. I never even saw him. I don’t know why he went and made such an issue of it. When we went down to Stamford Bridge [for the replay] we shook hands before and after the game.
“There are no problems for me. At the end of the game we always shake hands and we always have a meeting in my office after with both sets of staff. It is a fantastic thing to do. You maybe see managers twice a year when you play them so that opportunity to spend half an hour with them after a match is vital. You can discuss your jobs and a lot of issues.”
This is Benitez's seventh season in the Premier League, following his six in charge of Liverpool between 2004-10. Yet Ferguson believes he has visited his office at Old Trafford for a chat on one occasion and never when Ferguson took United to Anfield.
“He came in once when he was at Liverpool. I don’t think he’s come in again,” Ferguson said. “It is not easy if you have lost but I always say to my staff make sure we go in because it is our chance to show we are Manchester United. No matter the result, go in.”
Regarding Benitez's ambition, Ferguson said: "I think he is very concerned about his CV, he refers to it quite a lot but you cannot dispute the fact he has done a good job [at Chelsea]."
Funds to strengthen
Meanwhile, Ferguson is confident the Glazer family will come up with any funds he needs to strengthen his squad this summer. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who will replace David Gill as chief executive in the summer, said yesterday he did not envisage a "major retooling" of Ferguson's squad given the manner in which they have claimed a record 20th championship.
Yet Ferguson had already spoken about the potential for luring big-name targets to Old Trafford, with Robert Lewandowski, Radamel Falcao and Gareth Bale amongst those most recently linked, not to mention the potential for resigning Cristiano Ronaldo, which would hardly be a cheap enterprise.
Ferguson agrees a major revamp is not needed but he is confident the Glazer family will meet his requirements.
"We have fantastic strength in depth," Ferguson said. "That's the area where we don't want to confuse ourselves because you end up with too many players and having to try to keep them all happy. It's happened a few times this season. "But any time we've asked for money off the owners they've delivered."
Guardian Service
