Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out the possibility of his side winning an unprecedented quintuple this season.
United have already won the Fifa Club World Cup and the Carling Cup, while the Premier League champions hold a four-point lead in the defence of their title and are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the last eight of the Champions League.
But while Ferguson has reiterated that his current squad is the best in his time at Old Trafford, the Scot has played down the chances of a historic five trophies.
He told the New Statesman: “The thing about cup football is you need to be the best but you also need a lot of luck and I think it’s asking too much for all the games to go your way.
“The one thing I will say is, this squad is the best I have ever had. Every game we play, I feel confident.
“At the moment, every attack fears our defence and every defence fears our midfield and attack. That gives you confidence but it is too tough a call.”
Ferguson was also asked if he had a retirement date in mind.
“Not for a while. I’m 67 now,” he said. “My health’s good. I still have the drive and the energy. I’ve been here more than 22 years, but I still get a buzz arriving at the training ground. I still get that tingle when the team bus draws up at an away ground before a big match.”
Pressed on whether that meant another year or two, he added: “That kind of area. We’ll see.”
