Manchester: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has declared the billionaire Premier League owners cannot buy loyalty from their players.
A wave of mega-rich businessman have bought into top flight clubs in recent years, with Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City leading the way in terms of spending. With James Milner's imminent arrival at the Blues set to take their spending past £115 million this summer alone, United's more conservative purchases of youngsters Bebe, Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez have paled in comparison.
Speaking to the press at the unveiling of the new trio, Ferguson slated the unsustainable 'kamikaze' fees paid out in the chase for success.
He said: "The last two or three years we've seen very wealthy owners become part of Premier League clubs and therefore go on this kamikaze effort to spend their money. It's amazing the amounts of money banded about in the modern day game.
"I don't see it abating. I think it's there for two or three years until such time you cant achieve all the time by spending.
He added: "They'll come a time when we have to buy a more mature player, but at the moment it is a young player's club at the moment."
The Scot also insisted that money wouldn't buy loyalty and highlighted club stalwarts John O'Shea, Wes Brown and Darren Fletcher as unheralded role models for a policy that targets youth development.
"Darren Fletcher has been at the club since he was 12 which is 14 years. You don't think that, you think he's a young player," Ferguson said.
"Wes Brown has been with us since he was 10 and he's 30 now. You forget that with [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes and [Gary] Neville who seem to hog the headlines for loyalty.
"We develop young players well and they have a loyalty towards you as they appreciate the education you give them as coaches."
Comments
0 comment