Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making any new signings in the January transfer window (United 9/2 to win the Premier League).
Ferguson saw his side beat Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday to sit five points behind leaders Chelsea. And he insisted he is happy with the squad he has, and is not considering adding to it this season.
“We won’t be buying in January, definitely not,” said Ferguson in the Independent. “If you want someone to play in Europe, you are limited right away. There are hundreds of players cup-tied.”
The United boss added: “You have five months left of the season, I will have Antonio Valencia back hopefully towards the end of February, which is a new player coming back.
“If Michael Owen gets back, it is another new player coming back. So with the squad I’ve got, I don’t see any reason for us to buy anyone.”
Ferguson is not panicking over the size of his squad, or the fact that Wayne Rooney may not be back in action until mid-December (United 1/14 Top Four Finish).
Rooney was on hand at Old Trafford yesterday after returning from a mid-season break to Dubai with his wife Coleen.
“I think Wayne Rooney will be out for another five weeks,” Ferguson said in the Sunday Express. “He’ll have to pick up his fitness again. I would think five weeks should be about right.”
Rooney could miss a total of 15 games for club and country, after initially having targeted the Manchester derby against City next week.
United’s match at Blackpool on December 4 is now his comeback target, though the Champions’ League visit of Valencia three days later could also be in his sights (United 9/1 to win 2010-11 Champions League).
Ferguson went on to add: “With any player who has been out a few weeks, you want them 100 per cent and not breaking down. That is what happened to Ryan Giggs – he came back and trained a full week and maybe did too much.
“He lasted only 25 minutes against West Brom and it was a loss, because we didn’t have real cover for the wide positions.”
Ferguson said that Rooney would have to battle to regain his place in the team because of the form of Javier Hernandez, who has scored seven goals in 13 games for United.
Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.