SOCCER/FA Cup countdown: Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, intends to stay at Old Trafford for three more years, and possibly longer, providing he can establish a good working relationship with Malcolm Glazer, the club's new owner. Ferguson has confided in colleagues at the club he plans to remain in charge until at least 2008, by which time he will be 66.
Ferguson believes he is in good health, despite having a pacemaker fitted; the only potential stumbling block is whether he can work under an American regime with no background in the game. Ferguson has received indirect assurances from Glazer's son, Joel, that they want him to continue.
Although Ferguson has expressed reservations about the break-up of the Old Trafford hierarchy, his most prominent thought is one of excitement about the capabilities of his side when young players such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have matured. He views the future of the team with such optimism he has assured his players that, barring unforeseen circumstances, he will be around to oversee what he believes will be their best years together.
Ferguson will provide the new owners with his list of possible transfer targets in the summer. Michael Owen, the Real Madrid and England international striker, is believed to be on the list. Shay Given, the Newcastle United goalkeeper, has also been mentioned in the Old Trafford boardroom.
Ferguson will also be acutely aware there is no guarantee his job would be safe should the team fail - for a third successive year - to win the Premiership next season. United's only chance of silverware comes tomorrow when they take on Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reacted to claims of subterfuge from Ferguson by reiterating Thierry Henry is not fit to play in the final. Ferguson insists his squad will prepare to face Henry in tomorrow's match at the Millennium Stadium, despite Wenger claiming earlier in the week the Frenchman was no longer part of his plans.
Arsenal stress Henry has suffered a recurrence of an old Achilles injury, but Ferguson is sceptical of their claims he has no chance of appearing in Cardiff. "We are not liars," said Wenger. "He (Ferguson) can prepare his team to face us with Henry but I can assure everyone he is not going to play."
Henry has played only 45 minutes in the past five weeks, as a second-half substitute in last week's 7-0 victory over Everton. A groin injury kept him out of action for four weeks, before Arsenal reported the 27-year-old had sustained an aggravation of his Achilles problem.
Meanwhile, Glazer's takeover of United is the price the club have paid for Ferguson's ownership dispute over the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar, according to former director Greg Dyke.
Dyke, who had to leave the United board when he became director general of the BBC, claims Irish racing magnates John Magnier and JP McManus bought a 29 per cent stake in the club "to teach Alex Ferguson a lesson" - and in doing so made it vulnerable to a takeover.
He also believes the Glazer family will find it very difficult to fund the £540 million debt they have taken on and they will have relinquished control at Old Trafford inside five years. Dyke told BBC Radio Five Live: "You go back to the whole affair of Alex Ferguson and Rock of Gibraltar; without that the Irish wouldn't have bought their block of shares. My guess is it wasn't a business investment at all, it was them teaching Alex Ferguson a lesson not to take them on, which they did pretty successfully."
Dyke, who was on the board when the 1998 takeover attempt by BSkyB was blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, fears the club's cashflow will not be enough to service the debts taken on by Glazer. "It could be that he has a trick that we don't know about but you can't conceivably see how he can fund that debt," Dyke added. "One year or two years out of the Champions League and the cashflow dries up."
Shareholders United have backed Ferguson's call for United supporters to concentrate on helping their team beat Arsenal tomorrow. There are fears the final could be disrupted by fans wanting to show their opposition to Glazer's takeover.
Alan Smith, a centre-forward by trade, may be required to move back into United's midfield if Ferguson cannot find a capable successor to Roy Keane, a task he regards as one of the hardest of his 18½ years at Old Trafford. Ferguson believes Smith's tackling and tactical appreciation would help him to convert to midfield. Privately, the manager also has reservations about Smith's finishing skills.
