The manager's column

Welcome to the new season and let’s hope it is a good one. I believe that it will be because we have a good squad, and you can judge how much faith I have in it by the fact that I have not been bidding big in the transfer market this summer.

It’s not because of a lack of money, just a genuine belief in the number and quality of the guys who are already at Old Trafford. With two or three notable exceptions, it is overall a young squad and our priority is to develop them and enable them to come through together. I don’t need to add to my selection problems by bringing in too many players, only to be forced to then send them out on loan so that they can get a game.

Our striker department is a case in point. With the arrival of young Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez – an opportunity impossible to let go – and Portuguese forward Bebe, a young developer and the type of player we are always on the lookout for, we now have eight forwards. We have three seniors in Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen and five young players – our two new signings plus Federico Macheda, Mame Diouf and Danny Welbeck. I can’t play eight, but they are all ready for first-team football and have great potential, yet people talk about us needing a new front man.