Soccer:Alex Ferguson insists Manchester United have no intention of selling Dimitar Berbatov this summer. The Bulgarian striker has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford following his €34 million move from Tottenham in August 2008, scoring just 26 goals in two seasons.
But Ferguson has no plans to offload the "fantastic" 29-year-old.
"No, no, definitely not," he said. "That's a problem with a club like United - there's expectation and the media attention is always there.
"There's speculation every year - some summers I'm signing 100 players. You've got to live with that sort of media hype about the club. There's been a bit about Berbatov in terms of his future but we know he's a good player.
"He's a fantastic footballer and he'll be with us next year."
Berbatov will, therefore, be part of the Red Devils' squad which tours Canada and the United States in July.
United's eight World Cup stars will be given a break after their exploits in South Africa. They will not travel to North America and Ferguson has indicated they could miss the start of the new Premier League season.
“The players who will be going on the tour, the big names, the established names from Manchester United over the last 20 years - (Paul) Scholes, (Gary) Neville, (Ryan) Giggs - will all be there, (Edwin) Van der Sar, Berbatov, (Darren) Fletcher, (John) O'Shea . . . all these players. We're bringing a very strong squad.
"My intention anyway is to start the season with the squad I'm bringing on tour because the World Cup can be a draining experience for players - it's the biggest tournament of their lives. They need rest.
"We'll give all the players a 28-day rest after their last game so we intend to start the season without them."
Meanwhile, Ferguson is backing old friend Jose Mourinho to guide Inter Milan to victory in tomorrow's Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu.
He still has a feeling of regret, though, that Inter find themselves up against Bayern rather than his United side.
"We should have been in that final," he said, before recalling his team's quarter-final exit to the Bavarians and in particular the dismissal of Rafael da Silva. We murdered Bayern Munich and just didn't have the luck on the night and had a terrible refereeing decision against us in the game that changed the whole course of it.
"If you look at Bayern in all the games this season, they have carried a bit of luck. Maybe their name's on the cup. But, make no mistake - Inter are the better team. Inter are a very, very good team. Mourinho has changed that whole club around.
"I think they are the best team. They can win it but Bayern are carrying luck and you just worry about that."