Philip Don, the referee who came under attack from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson after Tuesday night's goal-less draw with Chelsea, yesterday defended his position.

Ferguson hit out at Don - recently-appointed referees' officer at the FA Premier League - after match referee Mike Riley failed to send off Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf.

In an attack on referees Ferguson said: "Philip Don is the new referees' supremo and he seems to have changed all aspects of the game. Perhaps it is his vision of football that we are seeing and nobody else's." But Don hit back at the Manchester United manager, insisting he had nothing to do with making the laws of the game, only enforcing them. "Instructions on the laws of the game are given by FIFA and the Football Association, they are not given by the Premier League," said Don. "I do not issue instructions to referees. Only FIFA and the FA can issue those instructions. I am just there to ensure the referees are applying the laws as FIFA and the FA want them applied. "There will have been a Premier League observer at the game last night who would have looked at it objectively, whereas managers and supporters can only look at the game subjectively." Don took a thinly-veiled swipe at Ferguson for snubbing a preseason opportunity to discuss changes in the laws of the game this season. "At the beginning of the season all clubs are invited to send their manager to a meeting with me where we discuss the law changes and the interpretations. I shall leave you to draw your own conclusions as to whether or not Alex Ferguson attended. "

"At the end of the day it is about opinions and people have got to accept the referee has an opinion and at the moment, in law, it is the referee's opinion that counts."

Udinese of Italy are among a number of Continental clubs interested in signing Peter Schmeichel when he leaves Manchester United at the end of the season, according to his agent Ole Frederiksen.

Frederiksen said there had also been interest from France, Spain and Portugal in the Danish goalkeeper. Schmeichel (35) is allowed to start talking to other clubs from this weekend and will announce his destination in mid-February.