Fergie praises Djemba-Djemba in defeat

Alex Ferguson took heart from the debut display of summer signing Eric Djemba-Djemba as Manchester United went down 3-1 to Sporting…

Alex Ferguson took heart from the debut display of summer signing Eric Djemba-Djemba as Manchester United went down 3-1 to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal last night.

In a game that saw the Portuguese club unveil theirnew stadium, Ferguson's side clearly showed signs of fatigue from their four-match trip to America.

But Cameroon international Djemba-Djemba linked up well with captain Nicky Butt in the opening period.

"He played very well in the first half and although he was weaker after the break I'm satisfied," added Ferguson.

READ MORE

Ferguson claimed the decision to cash in on Veron came after United followed up Djemba-Djemba's capture by signing Brazil star Klebersen - a move which depends on a work permit.

The Scot felt he had more than enough talent in midfield telling MUTV: "It's always difficult to let good players go. When the first opportunity concerning Juan Sebastian Veron and Chelsea came up I initiated the interest in Klebersen because I felt Klebersen was one for the future and in the long term was good for Manchester United.

"The situation was we had a choice of central midfield players and then when another offer came in for Seba we decided to take it. I think there would have been problems ahead with the players in midfield".

"We've added three players but we do need two players, possibly up front, and we also need a defender, that's something we are looking at," he said.

"There's clubs selling because the gravy train has stopped at the moment - there's one massive buyer, that's Chelsea, and the rest are trying to be sensible".