Alex Ferguson sticks boot into oppo Mark Hughes

It's all getting a little nasty ahead of next month's Carling Cup semi-final between the two Manchesters, United and City. The pair meet on January 6 (with the return leg on the 19th) but the mind games have already started. "Hugh you going to pick Fergie?" was a headline splashed across the Sun last week, above an article in which City boss Mark Hughes dared Sir Alex Ferguson to continue his Carling Cup policy of picking youngsters.

"I seem to recall during my time at Blackburn in 2006 they were a pretty strong side in the semi-final.," Hughes was quoted as saying. "We will have to wait and see. That is his [Ferguson's] decision."
 
Now the United manager has retaliated with a deliciously back-handed compliment guaranteed to send sparks flying in the City dressing-room as the light blues search for their first trophy in 33 years. Asked if he thought any of his current United veterans, such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, had the potential to succeed in football management, Ferguson replied: "It can be difficult to pinpoint who would make it as a manager. For instance, nobody here thought Mark Hughes would become a manager, never in a million years."
 
It's not the first time this season that Ferguson and Hughes have exchanged jibes. Back in September, ahead of their Premier League encounter, the United manager laughed off the suggestion that the City game was the highlight of the Reds' season.
 
"Liverpool, to me, will always be the derby game. It's because of the history," said Ferguson. "When I came down here they were the kingpins of England, they'd won four European Cups at the time, quite a few league titles. It's hard to go against history."  

That prompted Hughes, who spent a total of 13 seasons at Old Trafford under Ferguson, to wonder if perhaps United were not the team they once more. "I have watched a number of their games and I don't think they are playing as well as they did last year. They played well against Tottenham, that has been their standout performance, but prior to that they have been below par."

Hughes had reason to regret his words on that occasion when a Michael Owen game in stoppage time secured a dramatic 4-3 win for United, and Ferguson appears blasé on the subject of who might challenge United's hegemony.  "It's difficult to say with so much money coming into the game," he says. "Manchester City have millions, Chelsea have money and you can't count out anyone. You don't know where the next deluge of money's going to come from. You just have to say, 'Here's another challenge.' We won't be afraid of it." ·