Former Manchester United legend, Ole Solskjaer, has said that his old team cannot afford to make any mistakes in the build up to the end of the season.

United are currently fighting for the title, which will mean they have secured more league victories than the old record that Liverpool set during the 1980s when they were arguably the best team in the world.

Solskjaer, who now coaches the United reserve team, says that even one slip up will cost United the title, as there are a number of teams circling around like vultures, waiting to make a title push.

He said: “We can put a good run together but we can’t afford any more slip-ups if we’re going to realistically challenge for the title. The players know that, the manager knows that and we’re geared up.”

“Whenever you see a striker scoring goals you are happy for him. Wayne’s really put the practice in on the training ground, repeating and repeating himself. That’s what it’s all about as a striker, to get the repetition in, and then you can act on instincts rather than having to think about it when you get on the pitch.”

“You see how successful he’s been and you see how he goes about his business. That’s a recipe for success. He wants people around him who are just as hungry as him and want to win to make United the best team in the world.”

The striker has been considered as Sir Alex Ferguson’s best ever purchase during his time in charge at United. It is also clear that his coaching role means he is still a respected person and many at the club would do well to pay close attention to him.

United’s likely challengers are going to be Chelsea and Arsenal from this point onwards. All of these teams are waiting for each other to make mistakes and as soon as that happens, there will be a gap between the teams.

History has shown that the team who does not make one mistake in the run up to the end of the season always tends to go on and win it with relative ease. United also have much more experience in how to deal with the current situation than the other sides around them.

Arsenal are the outside bet while Chelsea lead the pack and United are just off the shoulder of the blue London side. There best chance to sneak ahead is when they meet Chelsea, as this will provide the chance to take three points off of their main title rivals.

Solskjaer saw it all during his time with the club and experienced many situations like the current one going on with the team. He will be hoping that he can offer guidance and assistance to help Ferguson reach a record 19th title for the club. It will be a tough and up hill challenge but it is clear the Norwegian and the club have lost not a single part of hunger and desire.

AC Milan midfielder, David Beckham, has said that Sir Alex Ferguson will always be the best manager that he has ever worked for.

Many have suggested that Beckham is looking to settle a score with Ferguson, over the way Beckham was forced to leave the club for Real Madrid over seven years ago. We all remember the stitched eye and stories of a boot being kicked across the dressing room in Beckham’s direction.

However, Beckham insists that there is no bad blood and he has only love and admiration for arguably the longest serving and best manager in the whole of football. There can be no questions at all that Beckham would not be half the player if he had not had the guidance of Ferguson.

Beckham said: “Sir Alex Ferguson was always a father figure to me, always has been, always will be, whether we’ve had good times or bad times and no matter what people have said in the past about our relationship.”

“He gave me the chance to play for a club I’d always dreamt of playing for. I definitely don’t hold anything against the manager — he’s really an incredible man. There are only good memories from Manchester United, nothing else. There’s definitely no score to be settled.”

“It’s the first time I’m going to want Manchester United to lose. But if I scored, I wouldn’t celebrate. I want to score and if I did it would be amazing, but out of my respect for United and the fans, I wouldn’t celebrate.”

Ferguson added: “David left seven years ago, you move on in life. It’s a different team and different players. That’s what happens. I hope he’s not celebrating anyway. David has experience, 100-odd caps for England and has played for Milan, Real Madrid and United. It’s the same experience as the likes of Nesta, Inzaghi and Seedorf. They all have that experience Milan bring.”

“We are peculiar like that at this club because the players, like Beckham, who come through the ranks are always viewed as being better than those you buy. Rooney has been fantastic and he has developed that aura. His form has brought him to the high point of his career, without a doubt. World class is a misused term, but with Rooney, you have to say he is getting to the point where he is now one of the best players in the world.”

It is very clear that Beckham still has a deep love for the club that made him the star he is today. Ferguson played a massive role in making him such a key and important player. However, there will be some hearts in mouths if United concede a free kick on the edge of their own area.

United fans may have mixed emotions when Beckham trots out onto the pitch but he moved for his own reasons and he was a model professional during his time at the club. Hopefully his departure will not come back to haunt them.

Manchester United have equalled the Champions League record for the highest amount of unbeaten away games. The record had been held by Ajax but Luis Valencia’s single goal against CSKA Moscow last night meant that United drew level with the historic Dutch side.

It was an unconvincing United display on a bitterly cold evening in Moscow. However, the point is that United managed to scramble out a win and it is three more important points as they continue their quest to reach the later rounds of the competition.

United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, said: “The issues of the surface were not a problem. As I said before the game, good footballers can play on that quite easily. I’m very pleased with the performance. We have a home game against CSKA next, so we have the opportunity to ensure we go through to the next stage. I think we should be proud [of equalling Ajax’s record].”

“There is a way of playing with maturity and you saw that tonight. In the first half I think we played with a lot of patience, which is necessary when you are playing away from home. Experience in these sort of situations is always vital.”

“In the second half we increased the tempo of the game and got more penetration. We created some good opportunities and if we have to wait to the 86th minute, so be it. We had to have the patience to win, and we did that.”

“Valencia has been a plus point for the last few weeks. He is emerging very well, settling into the club and his confidence is getting stronger. He has tremendous assets for a wide player but the assets he didn’t show at Wigan were his goals, where he would maybe get three or four a season.”

United will probably be buoyed by the the win and will now be looking forward to an intense trip to Liverpool this weekend. The Premier League match is said to be the most intense in the entire country and one of the fiercest in Europe.

It could be the prime time for United to go to Liverpool and chalk up another away win but the point of last night’s performance is that the side still know how to grind out a win when they are not playing well.

Fergie seems hungrier than ever and if he can get his team to keep winning at all costs that it could be a silver season for United.

England suffered their first defeat of the World Championship Qualifying stage over the weekend, losing 1-0 to Ukraine. A bad mistake from Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, saw Robert Green left in a compromising position and the West Ham United goalkeeper was subsequently sent off.

It was one of the poorer performances from Fabio Capello’s new England side and they were found wanting in a number of key areas. The side will have to drastically improve the way they play in these sort of matches if they want to entertain any ideas of success by the time South Africa arrives next year.

The defence will be that this sort of game is meaningless for England as they have already officially qualified. However, Capello is said to have been furious over the performance and has demanded better from his team in the immediate future.

He said: “Rio made just one mistake. The ball bounced and he didn’t judge the direction of the ball well, but afterwards he played a good game like the other players. Rio has made some mistakes, but you can’t question his value.”

England captain, John Terry, added: “There’s been the odd game when defending has been a problem and individual mistakes as well, but that’s something we’ll have to work on.”

“We wanted to walk away with ten wins [in World Cup qualifying group six], but haven’t managed to do that. We weren’t at it and they were better than us from the start.”

“We really need to use these games as learning curves now. It will be nice to get a win at home on Wednesday to give the fans that good feeling again. I don’t feel for Rio. I don’t have to look out for him. He’s a world-class player. He’s suffered from a couple of injuries of late, but when he’s in and around the team he’s great to have around the place.”

It may be the first signs that Ferdinand is not as good as he once was because he gifted Manchester City a goal in the recent Manchester derby. Furthermore, Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have been frustrated during practice at the way Ferdinand is making a few too many basic errors.

If England are going to succeed in South Africa then Ferdinand and Terry need to be solid and there is no room for any errors at all. One slip up and that’s it, you are out of the World Cup. The stakes are high, higher maybe than they have ever been before.

Manchester United are preparing their first attempt to try and sign a player using the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer cash. United are reportedly piecing together a bid for Inter Milan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as they look to bring in a high profile target to replace their former Portuguese play maker.

United have been knocked by a lot of people in the game over the last two weeks or so because of their failure to move in securing the signatures of a lot of influential players who are all moving to Spain. They have just missed out on signing Karim Benzema from Lyon and Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich looks set to follow his fellow Frenchman to Real Madrid.

There is no dancing around the fact that United need a big and high calibre striker, as they are short up front. The arrival of Michael Owen at Old Trafford was nothing more than a stop gap move and they were always going to be linked with a big name player sooner or later. United are going to need a big player that has the ability to change a game instantly and someone that can bring other people into a match just by his presence at the top of the pitch.

Whether Ibrahimovic is the right person for United is highly debatable. Sir Alex Ferguson clearly rates the six-foot plus tall Swede but a lot of pundits would call it a bad move as he rarely turns up in a lot of big games. Furthermore he is well liked by Jose Mourinho who will be incredibly reluctant to let the player leave unless it is in a huge deal.

This is a deal that probably wouldn’t justify the player and United could well be better off looking at other options. The English champions still have a lot of time before the next season starts and they should not panic about trying to find a striker to lead their attack in the coming campaign.

It is easy to see why United may be interested in such a player because he does have a lot going for him. He is tall and very quick on his feet for a player of his height. United will need a big target man up front as they will not now be able to play their slick and aggressive passing football as Ronaldo was so integral to the success of this style of play.

Although a lot of people have called Ibrahimovic quite selfish in the past a move to United and England could end up revitalising his career. The player has already hinted that he wants to move away from the Italian game, which apparently does not suit his style of play and is too slow. He would probably be quite grateful for a move to English football and would therefore be a good signing as United are going to need someone who will sweat blood for the side.

The point is however that a lot of people are supposedly telling Sir Alex Ferguson to steer clear of any bid he is considering making for him. He could get a lot more for his money and the Swedish front man has not really done enough to justify such a huge price tag.

In a football world that is becoming increasingly dominated by cash, Inter are clearly trying to make the most out of a bad situation and United need to keep their business heads on otherwise they could well end up being ripped off.

Ferguson will have a long list of targets and he needs to weigh up how important each one is to his United side. It is important to remember that Ferguson will probably now be considering reinventing his side as he lost two very influential players so far this summer in Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

Ferguson has a very good idea of where he wants to take the current side and if Ibrahimovic fits into this philosophy then United will be hard pushed to find someone to match his characteristics. However, they really do need to proceed with caution because the Swede can be very temperamental at times and United will need someone who can raise his level of performance consistently.

Ibrahimovic cannot always do this easily and on a consistent basis and many will say that this, equipped with his slight ego, are the two main reasons why Ferguson should not go any where near the player. It will be interesting to see how the move develops as United could do a lot better.

However, if they do sign one of the top scorers in the Italian leagues then they will have to work very hard in basing the team around him. Ibrahimovic does not strike the ordinary fan as a player that can adapt himself to a team and this will make United’s job a lot harder as they restructure to have another go at European and domestic success.

It is impossible to say at this moment in time whether it would be a gamble that pays off because the move has so many advantages and disadvantages. The money being talked about is a lot of cash in the current climate and United should only spend it if they are absolutely certain that this player is the person to help them move forward.

They may let the move go because the doubts are too big to ignore. Being the top scorer in Italy is totally different to being the top scorer in England where the league is a lot more difficult to play in.

Ibrahimovic is a player that relies on time on the ball and not being pressured in order to make space and bring other players into the side. These are things that he would not get in the Premier League and they are things that mean United may be better off in going for another target. I’m sure with this player that if Real Madrid came in and tried to poach him, United probably wouldn’t be too annoyed.

Sir Alex Ferguson is playing a very shrewd game at Manchester United as we continue to wait for the first big money signing to walk through the door at Old Trafford. Valencia and Owen are deals that have been completed but we all expected these due to the strong speculation surrounding each.

The point is that a lot of United fans are growing frustrated by Ferguson’s reluctance to part with a great deal of cash in order to bring in a high profile star. Well the boss has parted with another £3 million, or is about to, after taking advice from former defender, Laurent Blanc.

Blanc has advised Ferguson to take a gamble on Gabriel Obertan, a winger who currently plays for Marseille. Apparently Blanc has said that Obertan is better than Nani, which has put the future of the Portuguese player at the club in doubt. The point is that it is now seeming more and more likely that Ferguson will go for unproven stars to replace some important players that have just left his club.

Blanc said: “I was surprised too, but it is an unexpected chance for him to play with one of the best clubs in the world. Manchester United have been tracking him for a long time. They certainly hope to advance him, something that Bordeaux and Lorient have failed to do. He has the potential, but he must overcome psychological and mental challenges so he can express his true value.”

It is interesting to see if the move works. This transfer will create a similar effect to the one that surrounded the arrival of Michael Owen at United. There are those that believe Ferguson is playing a very clever game and has done his homework in order to poach a couple of very good players at very cheap prices and can put them on cheap deals.

However, there will be others, and this group will be the larger, that believe Ferguson is starting to lose his marbles. This is the group that cannot understand why Ferguson is not fighting for some of the high profile targets that he clearly liked. They all seem to be going to Real Madrid but United are not doing a thing to try and get them to go to Old Trafford.

It is very important that United do not get carried away with trying to find a formula that will produce the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was a once in a generation sort of player and it would be naïve for the Manchester club to go around snapping up players in the hope that they will progress in a similar vein as the world player of the year did when he was at Old Trafford.

Ferguson is clearly a very shrewd man who possibly thinks that no player is worth a certain amount of money. However, he will have to up his game if he is to carry on competing at the very highest level because it seems that some other clubs are not fussed about morals when it comes to having to pay for a player.

United cannot replace the quality that has left by making such small and unpredictable signings. Sooner rather than later they will have to part with a large amount of cash to make good the influence of the players that have left. If they do not then they will simply get picked apart next season by teams that have a better squad and higher calibre players to spare than themselves.

Ferguson must still have a list of big name players in mind that he would like to make bids for. He has already missed out on Karim Benzema and it looks like Franck Ribery will go for a lot more than United would have been willing to pay. The point is that these are not the only high calibre players that are up for sale and Fergie must be working away on a signing that will shock us all.

If he does not act then he will be conforming to the view of those who feel he is losing it. However, this is unlikely and it could well just be a matter of time until Manchester United’s new star is announced. Clever and shrewd quiet moves are all one thing but they need to be blended with a bit of brashness and ambition in order for the squad to carry on winning trophies.

United seem to be establishing a new and younger squad following the recent departures. Ben Foster has just signed a new contract and the wheels may have been set in motion as Ferguson looks to reinvent himself and the club yet again. There should be no doubts over him because he proves every time that he knows what he is doing and every time he gets it correct.

Plenty of high profile players have left Manchester United in recent years and every time the club goes on to move forward and become better than they were before. However, the task is now more difficult than it has ever been because the players that have left are the most influential that United have had in recent times. You do not replace a midfield player that can score 30 goals in a season and win every personal award going.

United fans should have faith in their manager and should sit tight and hope that he knows exactly what he is doing. Sometimes the club will have to sacrifice a little bit of glory in order to once again solidify and move forwards. There is no better man to do this than Fergie and the imminent arrival of the Frenchman from Marseille could turn out to be a masterstroke. We just all hope that it does not signify the start of a downturn in the career of one of the greatest bosses to have ever graced the game. If all goes as plan then United will be sitting as pretty as any other club by the time the season starts in August.

It’s a great sentiment Argentinean striker Carlos Tevez is trying to express but will Manchester United fans agree? Out of contract Tevez is being seriously eyed up by great rivals Manchester City and, by all accounts, he is about to make the move.

But Tevez has asked supporters not to turn against him when and if he hops across the city because he believes none of it is his fault. He’s quite right and it would be great if Manchester United fans agreed. Sadly, football isn’t so forgiving and Tevez can still expect plenty of aggravation as Manchester City square up to be a considerable force in the Premier League.

That’s not to say we can’t have sympathy in private for the plight in which Tevez has found himself. By all accounts, Sir Alex Ferguson told Tevez that he could not join Liverpool. Tevez can actually do what he wants, given he is out of contract with Manchester United and a totally free agent. But Tevez says he has greater respect for the Red Devils than to join their great rivals and would not do this to the fans.

The way things are going, Manchester City will soon replace Liverpool at the top of Manchester United’s hate list. The club is really going places now it has the cash backing and is slowly building a team to reckon with. At least manager Mark Hughes is thoroughly delighted with the progress being made.

He has his sights very firmly set on Tevez and on Samuel Eto’o and it’s likely we can expect an announcement on at least one of them in the next few days. Many Manchester United fans would have wanted Tevez to stay with them after he was offered a very late last-minute deal to remain at Old Trafford. By this time, however, it was too late. Tevez felt, and still feels, that he has been pushed out and has no choice but to leave.

He told a national Sunday newspaper; “If I have to play for Manchester City, I don’t think the United fans will feel I am a traitor. They have to remember that at least, as far as I know, I have been thrown out of the club and I have to study the best offers available. I gave everything to Manchester United. I don’t deserve the way things have ended up.”

Sadly, Mr Tevez, that’s life at Manchester United as many players before you have found out to their detriment. Fall out with Sir Alex Ferguson, and you will be shown the door, no matter how good you are on the pitch. Tevez felt aggrieved at his treatment and spoke to the press about it. Old Trafford stay over, even though there was a last-minute olive branch with the 25.5 million deal offer.