Kevin McCarra suggests that Alex Ferguson will not rest as winning the Champions League again is foremost on his mind
The new season started at tea-time on Sunday. In Alex Ferguson's brain the whistle was sounding to kick off another campaign. He was visualising the changes required if his side are to progress. The fainthearts who whimper about fatigue cannot expect any sympathy from the Manchester United manager.
With the title secured, all references to it as this group's greatest achievement are deleted from his script. They were only ever intended to ginger up players who had looked jaded.
Who could actually suppose that this championship was freighted with more emotion and heart-stopping incident than the 1999 treble? For those thrilled by the chase there was more pleasure in tracking down Newcastle from 12 points behind in 1996 than in making up ground on Arsenal.
It is fulfilling for the manager to have reasserted his mastery, but his mind will not linger on this season for long. The European Cup, on the other hand, is permanently in his thoughts. "Now we have to get the big one again," said Ferguson. "Winning it twice is not enough. It has become as important as anything you can think of in football."
Real Madrid have every expectation of coming to Old Trafford for the final this month and making off with the trophy for the 10th time. United's record in the tournament, on a par with Nottingham Forest's and inferior to Liverpool's, is puny by comparison. Ferguson is conscious that his club's global prominence still owes slightly more to slick marketing than to feats in European competition.
There is no cause for smug contentment. Had he gone through another barren year, as he might well have done had Arsenal shown more steadfastness, everyone would have expected Ferguson to dismember the squad. Even now, there are players who could be cut from it.
The interminable if fact-free chronicling of the Real interest in David Beckham may eventually end in the departure of the England captain, but there are cold calculations to be made. If United reckon they have already had the bulk of the conceivable merchandising benefit from his image then they will be prepared to negotiate a transfer, but there is no telling whether their very high valuation will be met.
There is a band of good players for whom offers would be considered if Ferguson decided that extra sums, over and above any transfer budget, were required to pursue his plans.
Football is about trading and there are only a few names for whom bids would be spurned automatically. Ruud van Nistelrooy, for example, is irreplaceable and Paul Scholes is the most influential figure in the side.
Roy Keane's recent displays against Tottenham and Charlton indicated his continuing value for the Premiership, even if the midfielder's talent may now look dulled in the glittering setting of the Champions League. United, too, would still cling to Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea and Wes Brown, since they are comparatively young men who will be expected to give their best years to the club.
Despite their obvious merits, that trio are all contenders for a defence that is under prolonged scrutiny. For great tracts of the Champions League quarter-final matches, Real Madrid looked capable of scoring at will and it is trite to ascribe that fact solely to the holders' creativity. Resistance need not be futile.
At the Bernabeu recently we have seen not only Barcelona's well-schemed 1-1 draw but also the whopping 5-1 rout of Vicente del Bosque's men by Mallorca on Saturday.
Real Madrid are not unassailable, but United have to protect themselves better when next they meet. Ferguson has to begin by finding a dependable goalkeeper. Constant injuries have reduced Fabien Barthez to a mundane level and though Roy Carroll showed reckless courage when trying to blame Keane for his howler on Saturday he does not appear to have a special talent. Ricardo Lopez too is cut out purely to be a deputy.
At least the back four may only require thought rather than purchases and Ferguson realises that an established structure has to be put in place. A fixed partner for Ferdinand is sought and a major role awaits O'Shea.
He has made 52 appearance already in this campaign, quadrupling last season's total. The Irishman's time has come and anyone witnessing his run, drag-back and shot against the bar in the 6-2 romp at Newcastle appreciates that the 22-year-old is remarkable. That kind of zest makes him a candidate for either of the full-back positions, but his gifts and physique would also mark him as a formidable accomplice for Ferdinand.
At the other end of the line-up it would be reckless to act as if van Nistelrooy is immune to injury and loss of form. A second, convincing goalscorer is a necessity because only the Dutchman's good health stands between United and a crisis.
Rumours connect the club with attackers such as Patrick Kluivert, who yesterday said he wanted to stay at Barcelona, and Damien Duff, but there could be wrangles and intrigue this summer if Blackburn try to fix the latter's price at £20 million.
No matter whom United want to sign, acquaintances calling Ferguson with congratulations may get the engaged tone. There are other conversations to be conducted. There is business to be done.
