ALL SYSTEMS GO

“We are going for trophies on all fronts. We’re going out to win the Premiership just as hard as we are trying to win in Europe — and the team is capable of winning both.

"I'm doing fine, thanks to my team-mates. I'm very happy at United and with the fact we are going for four trophies this season.”

As for Fergie’s temper, Heinze says:

"I've seen one or two examples of it but it's just part and parcel of football. Does it scare me? No, the only thing I'm scared of is aeroplanes."

Meanwhile Fergie insists United can’t drop any more points:

"Both Arsenal and Chelsea conceding goals in the last ten minutes was a bonus. Dropping the points is a big boost to us.

"We’re still nine points behind Chelsea and seven points behind Arsenal, so there is still a bit to go. But what we are trying to do at the moment is get a consistent run of victories.

"It is absolutely imperative that we win our matches against the teams in the bottom half of the league. If we win these matches, by the time the New Year comes around we will hopefully be much, much closer.

"You certainly get an idea of how the league is shaping up going into January. The teams in the bottom don’t normally pick up a lot of points. In my experience as manager, one of the top three or four teams is certainly going to take the title.”