Carlos Queiroz feels Manchester United did football a favour by winning the Barclays Premier League last term.

United, ending a four-year drought, claimed their 16th title on the back of some scintillating free-flowing football.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the double footballer of the year, was undoubtedly the champion’s outstanding player. But with Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all playing major supporting roles at various points of the season, no-one could have complained about the entertainment value at Old Trafford.

United’s approach under Sir Alex Ferguson was in marked contrast to the perceived safety-first tactics employed by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Rafael Benitez at Liverpool.

And, without mentioning his club’s major rivals by name, Queiroz feels in an age where football must compete with all major entertainment industries in a bid to attract supporters, it is fitting United finished last season top of the league.

“The Manchester United culture is to win by playing great, creative football,” Ferguson’s assistant said. “It is about winning and entertaining. It has always been like that.

“Sometimes, with so much competition from all the other sports and things like TV, football needs to be innovative to keep the title of the best sporting entertainment.

“For some time now, the game has moved in one direction. The systems and strategies and the general way teams approached the game had become so defensive and cautious.

“That is why it was so important, not just for Manchester United but for the game as a whole, that we won the championship. We proved it is possible to win trophies with an attacking style of football.”

Queiroz’s comments will be greeted with a wry smile by the body of United fans who felt the former Real Madrid coach was behind the decision to abandon the club’s traditional all-action 4-4-2 formation a couple of years ago.

Yet Queiroz’s stock has risen markedly over the past 12 months. A key figure in Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to remain with the club following the post-World Cup attacks on the brilliant winger, Queiroz has become a father figure to the 22-year-old.

He was also trusted with the task of travelling to Portugal with chief executive David Gill for the lightning May raid that ended with the capture of highly-rated young duo Anderson and Nani.

Clearly, Ferguson is an admirer of Queiroz’s coaching abilities and feels comfortable having him around. It is a respect which is mutual.

“The manager is a great believer in playing an entertaining brand of football,” added Queiroz. “Of course, we need to have different approaches against teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus. At times we have to be efficient.

“But mainly, Manchester United needs to play with fantasy, imagination and creativity. We need to produce attacking football and be sure when we have the trophies in our hands, it is because we deserve it.”

Just three games into his side’s pre-season programme, Ferguson already needs to amend his plans for the Premier League opener against Reading on August 12.

The loss of Paul Scholes for up to a month with a knee injury is a blow, especially as Owen Hargreaves is yet to play any major part in training, let alone play a match on United’s current Far East tour.

With Anderson not due to train with his new team-mates until they return to England at the weekend, unless Hargreaves’ condition suddenly improves over the next fortnight, Ferguson may find himself turning to the trusted talents of long-serving duo Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea as he looks for someone to partner Michael Carrick against the Royals.