We’ve all become accustomed to Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind games over the years, with the likes of Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez having all been previously involved in some high-profile slanging matches with the Old Trafford boss.

With relations mellowing out with most of his rivals and Benitez quite content to do everything but cover himself in glory by complaining about a cash-obsessed transfer market when a newly acquired £17.5m full-back is sitting in close proximity, Fergie has taken it upon himself to take a swipe at a club managed by one of his former pupils instead.

 

Whether or not labeling Manchester City a club with a small mentality is fair comment or a disrespectful tirade against United’s neighbours, Ferguson will be the first to rub his hands with glee if City go into meltdown.

But with some notable departures from Old Trafford though, Ferguson might be compelled to ignore developments at Eastlands and keep a closer eye on his own side because United aren’t susceptible to losing their grip as the Premier League’s dominant force.

There are small things lingering in the Manchester United background that could fester into big problems, and that could threaten to throw the club back into an era of Kleberson and Djemba-Djemba mediocrity.

No sooner does speculation intensify that Ferguson is ready to invest heavily on strengthening his squad, the Old Trafford boss declares his summer spending closed. It was a surprise move because out of the £25m or so saved from the non-signing of Carlos Tevez on top of the £80m received for Cristiano Ronaldo, not to mention the £3.5m from Fraizer Campell’s departure, the club have only spent a fraction of that total and the reluctance to use more of those funds raises questions about the club’s finances.

There seemed to be a suggestion that the debt incurred from the Glazers take over in 2005 was hampering United’s aspirations in the transfer market although a spokesman for the Americans insisted ‘significant’ funds were available if Ferguson requested them.

Assuming that no further additions are made, Wayne Rooney is well placed to flourish in Ronaldo’s absence but having suffered a number of niggling injuries in the past, United will more than likely have to rely on Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen to deliver the firepower as well.

 

This is where it could potentially go wrong because Owen and Berbatov are the equivalent of two elderly folk who have just gone into a home. One, ravaged by injuries, is willing to work hard to reclaim the glory from his earlier years, while the other is prepared to just lye in bed sulking and waiting for everyone else to do the work for him.   There’s every chance former Newcastle frontman Owen, injury permitting, could be a masterstroke of a signing. The loss of his blistering pace will be compensated by the fact he’ll be playing alongside better players who will inevitably create more openings, and providing Dimitar Berbatov rolls his sleeves up and works har…sorry I can’t finish that sentence with a straight face.   Unfortunately the Bulgarian is too set in his ways to change now and while many claim it doesn’t matter about his reluctance to show himself for the ball because he possess so much class when in possession, that’s not enough for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

The only way to unleash his undoubted natural ability and influence a game, especially against top quality opposition, is to show more desire and hunger to get involved. Although they have been accused of paying too much attention to their prawn sandwiches in the past, United fans won’t tolerate another season of Berbatov shrugging his shoulders and standing idly by while watching his teammates do most of the work.   The chances that Berbatov will defy us all and develop a meaner streak however are about as remote as Fergie admitting he was wrong to field Ji-Sung Park in the Champions League final – speaking of which the South Korean midfielder is set to be rewarded with a new contract.   It really is perplexing when United do this. Every March or April when Ferguson is talking ahead of a vital European tie he expresses his regret at not winning the Champions League more often. It would be churlish to criticise Ferguson’s managerial record but maybe if he didn’t put his faith in this type of player then United would have won it more times.

Sentimentality is all well and good and the money generated from shirt sales and pre-season tours of Asia is bound to ease the financial burden but just imagine the collective sigh in the United dressing room when Park’s name appears on the team sheet.

While the special winning mentality that Ferguson has imprinted on United ensures they still tower above the football landscape in this country, it will only take another Kleberson or a Djemba-Djemba fuelled season to change that.