DESPITE ENDURING his worst injury crisis in more than a decade, Alex Ferguson says he will not use next month’s transfer window to reinforce his squad.
Manchester United approach the Christmas period without three key central midfielders: Anderson, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley.
With the club captain, Nemanja Vidic, out for the rest of the season and striker Javier Hernandez sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, this is the most serious injury list Ferguson has had to contend with since the 1997-98 season that saw Arsenal overtake a threadbare squad to secure Arsene Wenger his first Premier League title.
In addition, the midfielder Paul Pogba, perhaps the most talented member of the side who won the FA Youth Cup last season, is out of contract in the summer and is already flirting with a move to either Inter Milan or Manchester City.
“It is how you handle the situation,” said Ferguson, who dismissed the idea of asking Paul Scholes, who has continued to train since announcing his retirement, to make a comeback.
“Buying in January has seldom been a route we have taken. Unless a player we have always been interested in comes along – and there is no sign of that – it is not suitable for us.”
The only major deals Ferguson has done in recent mid-seasons have been signing Vidic and Patrice Evra in January 2006, in the aftermath of Manchester United’s previous failure in the Champions League groups, and the arrival of Henrik Larsson on a brief loan spell the following year.
“We are not going to panic, we have enough experience to cope,” Ferguson said. “Vidic’s character and energy are a loss. Darren is a big-game player, he is a loss, but we have enough players who have experienced everything that is coming in the second half of the season.”
The loss of Pogba, an 18-year-old whom United took from Le Havre in controversial circumstances two years ago, would be a blow as he has attracted comparisons to a young Patrick Vieira. Ferguson warned Pogba that, if he were seeking an early cash windfall from Inter or City, he risked finishing up disappointed.
“He has an agent who has become a bit difficult,” he said. “We have been negotiating with him but, if he doesn’t want to stay, there is not a lot you can do about it.
“Matt Busby summed it up perfectly when he said that you don’t need to chase money at a club like Manchester United. It will eventually find you.
“They can chase the money early in their career but at the end it won’t be the same as if he had stayed here. He just has to look around him to know where his future lies.
“He is a big, strong lad and a good athlete. He is improving and developing well. We have seen the progress he has made since coming to the club and physically, he is better than the rest of last year’s youth team, apart from Zeki Fryers.”
