Season starts now, says Fergie

Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that Manchester United’s race for glory starts now after claiming that the season will only be a success if his players land the “big” trophies between now and the end of May.

United, who added the League Cup to the FIFA Club World Cup trophy by defeating Spurs at Wembley last Sunday, have the chance to take another step towards sealing a hat-trick of Premier League titles by claiming three points at Newcastle on Wednesday evening.

Ferguson’s men are still on course for an unprecedented quintuple this season, with the team going strong in the league, Champions League and FA Cup.

But the United manager insists the real trophies are still up for grabs and that the silverware already collected this season will not be sufficient.

Ferguson said: “The only way we hope this season ends is with us winning the big ones.

“Winning the Club World Cup in December was an exceptional achievement, but the League Cup was fourth in our list of priorities at the start of the season.

“Now we have won it, though, we just move on because, for me, the Premier League and Champions League are the major trophies, with the FA Cup in third place.

“If we win one major trophy a year, then I am happy with that.

“I’d love to see us win the Champions League, that’s my big desire, but at this moment in time, the Premier League looks to be our best opportunity.

“And if we keep our heads straight and focus, then we’ll have a big chance.”

United have opened up a formidable lead at the top of the Premier League since returning from World Club Cup duty in Japan in December.

But Ferguson admits that no lead is insurmountable and he claims that Barcelona’s recent problems in Spain’s La Liga underline the need for his players to stay focused.

He said: “Barcelona are now four points ahead and they were eleven not so long ago. For the first time this season, they lost a game when they had a lead at the weekend.

“So there’s plenty of warnings in football, but we don’t need to look at Barcelona. We look at ourselves.

“If you take your foot off the pedal you can get a real kick in the teeth.”