Rio Ferdinand will mark the beginning and end of Manchester United's summer spending, according to chief executive Peter Kenyon. Kenyon claims Ferdinand, who completed his British record £30 million move from Leeds on Monday, will be Alex Ferguson's only buy.

Even though three first-team players have left since the end of last season, Kenyon feels Ferguson's squad is still big enough.

"We're not looking for new players," he said. "We concentrated on what we thought was our single number one target and that was Rio.

"There's a limit to the squad size you can have. Top players want to play football, they don't want to sit on benches and have rests.

"We've got a squad size which we're happy with. We've got Wes Brown and we've got John O'Shea who you would expect to feature more prominently.

"If you look at us we've probably got the best midfield of any team probably across Europe.

"We brought in Diego (Forlan) last season, Ruud (van Nistelrooy) had a fantastic season and Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) keeps on doing what he does so we're great in every department.

"This was all about bringing in a quality player in defence. We never sat down and said we needed to bring in several players. This was about getting the right one and in Rio we have the right one. That really was what the game plan was from day one."

United are confident Ferdinand, whose fee could eventually rise to £33.3million depending on how well the Reds do over the length of his five-year contract, will shore up a defence that leaked 45 league goals last season.

Kenyon said: "The decision was taken that we needed to strengthen the defence. Good central defenders are few and far between so it was a pretty small list and top of that list was Rio.

"He's a great signing for Manchester United. At 23 he's proved he's capable of playing on the world stage and he came through the World Cup with flying colours."

The world's most expensive defender might have been expected to make his entrance on a glitzier stage, but Ferdinand's first appearance in a United shirt could come in the unlikely setting of Bournemouth's Dean Court.

A sell-out crowd of just over 10,000 awaits on Saturday after the defender persuaded his new employers to include him in a 15-man squad for the testimonial for the Cherries' director of football Mel Machin.

Ferdinand, who arrived at Carrington in a silver Mercedes to complete his first training session with his new team-mates yesterday, had asked to be involved this weekend after promising Machin, who gave him his first taste of senior football in 1996 as a 17-year-old on loan from West Ham, he would make an appearance.

Arsene Wenger yesterday suggested United paid £10 million too much for Ferdinand but admitted he would have liked to have had Ferdinand lining up in the Gunners' defence for the forthcoming season.

However, he believes that Ferguson hasmashed the British transfer record on a player worth only £20 million.

In stark contrast to United's huge outlay, the Double-winning Londoners have spent just £2.1million so far - on Lille defender Pascal Cygan.

Wenger said: "They have bought a great player but they have paid a high price for him. I'd like to sign Rio Ferdinand - but for £10 million less. I'm not surprised United have the most expensive players in Britain, as that reflects their financial strength.

"When you have a lot of money in your pocket you buy expensive. And that's what they have done."

Meanwhile, Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale has once again insisted that David O'Leary did not leave Elland Road because of a difference of opinion over the decision to sell Ferdinand.

Ridsdale said: "David O'Leary told the plc board that if we received a bid of £30 million or more he would recommend that we took it because you could not turn down a bid of that magnitude for any player.

"David then said that he would be as one with the board in making that a public statement. Regrettably he has never done that publicly since that board meeting.

"I'm only one of a number of people who sit round the boardroom table. Given that there are five others who will confirm exactly what I've just said, we're disappointed that David appears to be suggesting publicly something that clearly was not said at the board meeting or indeed is reflected in the minutes of that board meeting."

Ridsdale also remains adamant that he had no choice but to cash in on Ferdinand once the centre-half had set his heart on a move to Old Trafford. "The minute that Rio put in a written transfer request, it was a question of trying to get as much money as possible," Ridsdale added.