Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis in the summer
of 1995. There was doom and gloom everywhere and when we
opened the season with a relatively inexperienced side and
lost 3-1 to Aston Villa, the alarm bells started ringing.
"We all know what happened then. We went on to do the double
and again the manager's decision to change things was
vindicated.
"Players come and go but the determination and will to win
remains. When the club sold those key players eight years
ago fans were calling for the manager's head. I'm sure a lot
of our rivals thrive on the adverse publicity we get but it
doesn't really cut any ice with the club. We go into every
season with the same mentality and that is to win every game
and every competition that we play in.
"When players move, it gives others an opportunity and the
door to first team football opens. In my experience, at a
club like Manchester United, players on the fringe rise to
the challenge. When a handful of youngsters, including David
Beckham, were given that chance all those years ago they
grasped it. If you look at our present squad, it's
formidable. Anyone who thinks this squad has been weakened
is in for a surprise.
"There was a great deal of speculation about me moving but
that's all it was. The club never spoke to me about it, they
never felt the needed to. Besides, I was under contract and
I made it clear that I wanted to stay at United, I had no
desire to move abroad."