If there is an ideal way to prepare for a match against Manchester United at Wembley, it is fair to say that the week that Portsmouth have enjoyed in advance of tomorrow’s Community Shield encounter would struggle to qualify, as doubts about the club’s ability to finance a challenge on four fronts began to surface.

Harry Redknapp, the manager, who faces a Uefa Cup campaign after last May’s FA Cup Final victory over Cardiff City as well as the three domestic competitions, told a local newspaper that little if any of the £11 million raised from the sale of Sulley Muntari to Inter Milan would be for reinvestment in the team.

Alexandre Gaydamak, the owner, is understood to have been less than delighted with the comments, while much of the subsequent flak from supporters on a local newspaper’s online forum was directed at Peter Storrie, the chief executive, for raising false hopes by claiming the club would sign three significant players over the summer. So far, Peter Crouch, the England forward, is the only new arrival in that category.

Player sales might help, but Redknapp does not want to cash in on assets such as Niko Kranjcar, the Croatia midfield player, who would bring the healthiest returns. There are also reports of VAT bills that need to be settled before more hefty salaries are added to the club’s already considerable wage bill. Redknapp was unable to shed more light on the club’s financial situation yesterday. His visit to the training ground consisted largely of a consultation with the club doctor after feeling unwell on arrival, although he expects to be fit to take charge of the team at Wembley.

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Tony Adams, his assistant, stepped into the breach and he admitted that the squad was short of quality in some areas. “\ would like to improve the squad,” Adams said. “We’ve got players, we’ve got numbers, but the quality may not be up to the standard we’d want in a certain tournament.”

The club, Adams suggested, had already overachieved. “Portsmouth are what they are,” he said. “We’re attracting some big players at the moment and have been getting top-ten finishes — but eleventh or twelfth wouldn’t be a disaster for a club like this. We won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939, so as far as the expectation of fans goes, we’ve got 70 years to repeat.

“Consistently getting into the top ten, with the level of finance and the players we are attracting, is fantastic. To get into the top four, coaching-wise we’re up against it, facilities-wise we’re definitely up against it, financially we’re up against it. If we can get another top-ten finish with this squad, it would be fantastic. The Uefa Cup can be a blessing or a curse, and we have to look seriously at the Carling Cup this year.”

Adams is relishing tomorrow’s clash with United. “It’s recognition for last season, but it’s also preparation for this season,” he said. “I hope United will give us a good game. Maybe they’ll pass us off the pitch and we’ll get some good fitness work, because we’ve got a very good team [Chelsea] to play next week.”

Adams knows that Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, will remember that Portsmouth beat his team at Old Trafford on their way to Wembley last season. “I saw him after the game,” he said. “He said ‘Well done,’ and swore at me, ‘You’d better bloody win it now.’ I have got so much respect for him. And I love beating him. One day I might be manager of Arsenal sitting back after knocking them off the top. That would be nice.”

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