If the performances of Manchester United's defence have been indefensible this season, Sir Alex Ferguson is clearly in a state of denial.

When the subject was raised yesterday, the manager turned defence into attack as only he can. "You're talking a load of rubbish," he said.

Not for the first time, Ferguson was incensed by minute scrutinising of anything in his team that could be perceived as a frailty.

Yet, even before considering the vulnerabilities that have twice been exposed by Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League, the facts speak for themselves. So far this season United have let in 14 goals in eight Premiership games, a number exceeded only by Middlesbrough, Derby and Leicester.

They are conceding at roughly twice the rate of last season and Ferguson's problems were exacerbated yesterday with the news that Ronny Johnsen's torn hamstring is worse than initially thought and will keep the Norwegian out for up to two months.

Just try talking statistics with Ferguson, however. "That's rubbish. It's not the defence, not at all. You [the media] may think something but I certainly don't," he said.

"To suggest our defending was bad on Wednesday would be totally wrong.

"Yeah, at 3-2 they opened us up a few times, but we were chasing the game at that stage. We played the last 15 minutes with only three at the back and no left-back. That's when they got their chances.

"As far as I'm concerned there's no need to discuss my defence. Why should I? Just look at the side we were playing. I, for one, think Deportivo are better than Real Madrid. They are top of the Spanish league and yet we made eight clear chances against them. Do the Spanish press go on about Deportivo's bad defence? I don't think so."

If that was a gentle blast of Ferguson's "hairdryer", the heat turned up a few notches when it came to criticism of Fabien Barthez's role on Wednesday.

"People can comment about it as much as they like. He will be playing against Bolton and that's all I 'm saying. You won't get anything more out of me."

It is unlikely Ferguson will ever again speak publicly about Jaap Stam (remember him?) but the feeling persists that United should not have replaced the Dutchman only with Laurent Blanc but brought in a younger model as well.

For Ferguson the first two months of the season have been a time for experimentation, not just in defence, and there is clearly some more tinkering to be done.

For the first time yesterday he conceded that his desire to incorporate Juan Sebastian Veron into his starting line-up, shifting Paul Scholes forward to play just behind Ruud van Nistelrooy, might have had a detrimental effect on the England player.

"I think Paul's still trying to get his game. He needs a few more matches to get his game going but there is plenty of time. It's only October." On a brighter note Ferguson continues to marvel at Van Nistelrooy's predatory instincts.

"You can't believe he is coming back from such a serious injury," he said. "He's improving all the time. In two years he will be the best striker in Europe."

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association has employed Ferguson in an advisory role to find a successor for Craig Brown, and Ferguson will recommend an appointment from outside the country.

"You have to have an open mind and consider the availability of Scottish managers at the moment. There are a few out of jobs at the moment but that doesn't necessarily mean they are interested," he said.

"It is best to take a broad view and I don't think it would be criticised if we were to appoint from outside. Ideally you would like to appoint from within but, in England's case, there was no one who stood out at the time and they made a good choice." SFA chief executive David Taylor has revealed that six high-profile managers have applied to succeed Craig Brown and not all were Scots.