Manager 'to stay and fight'

Sir Alex Ferguson is not worried about the imminent arrival of Malcolm Glazer as Manchester United's new owner, at least according to his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, despite fears among the fans that Ferguson's position as manager would become untenable thanks to his backing of the campaign to thwart the American businessman.

Sir Alex Ferguson is not worried about the imminent arrival of Malcolm Glazer as Manchester United's new owner, at least according to his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, despite fears among the fans that Ferguson's position as manager would become untenable thanks to his backing of the campaign to thwart the American businessman.

Ferguson, who still commands the support of a huge majority of United's fan-base, cancelled his regular pre-match press briefing at the club's Carrington training ground yesterday, adding weight to the belief that the 63-year-old is concerned about his future.

Queiroz, though, taking his place at yesterday's press conference claimed that Ferguson remains unfazed by the prospect of working for Glazer.

"The manager and I are not worried about possibly having a new boss," Queiroz said. "We are just focused on what happens on the pitch. We are not concerned with those things.

"So there are no concerns about the manager's willingness to stay on and fight this through. We are professionals and the only thing that counts for us is the next game and that is what we are concentrating our minds on."

He added: "We don't concentrate on things that are not our duty. There is no doubt that, in our club, everybody has their minds focused."

Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at the hands of the new champions, Chelsea, exposed the failings of Ferguson's United team and the growing gulf between the two sides. However, Queiroz insisted that the subsequent criticism of Ferguson will only serve to channel his desire to restore United to the summit of the English game.

"The more you put criticism towards Sir Alex, the more determination comes out." Queiroz said. "This is not the first time we have faced a situation like this and we have always come back and shown the greatness of this club. We have done it before and we will do it again in the future."