Despite his team being five points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League and with only four matches left to play, Sir Alex Ferguson is taking nothing for granted in the title race. Wigan Athletic did Manchester United a big favour by drawing 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday, but as far as the manager is concerned, the title race could go to the wire.

“We're in a good position, but with my experience in life you don't take things for granted,” Ferguson said. “We've still got difficult games. We have to go to Blackburn, Chelsea and Wigan, which are three difficult away games. Because we have difficult games, there is still a lot to play for.”

United are 1-14 to lift the title for the seventeenth time, but Ferguson is expecting a few more twists and turns in the race before the end of the season. “Chelsea dropping points against Wigan was a bonus for us,” he said. “We had a massive result against Arsenal on Sunday, so it could go to the wire. We can't take anything for granted. We could lose at Chelsea, we could lose all the games. It is a very difficult league.”

Chelsea can make United sweat by beating Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow and defeating Ferguson's team at Stamford Bridge a week on Saturday, but Ferguson is expecting his squad's experience and mental strength to carry the team over the line ahead of Chelsea. “My players proved themselves last season by winning the title when we had lots of injuries,” he said after presenting Denis Law with a Nationwide Lifetime Achievement award at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, Central London last night.

“It's been a really competitive league this season. Arsenal have had their moments and all the time when we were competing with Arsenal, Chelsea were creeping up behind us. When they beat Arsenal, I knew that they were right back in it but we just have to do our job.”

No sooner had Carlos Queiroz, the United assistant manager, declared that there was “no amount of money” that could buy Cristiano Ronaldo were Real Madrid up to their old tricks. United have become accustomed to Real attempting to unsettle Ronaldo and there were more covetous glances cast in the Portugal winger's direction by the Spanish club yesterday.

The Premier League champions have resisted the temptation to report Real to Fifa, football's world governing body, for their courting of the player, but the latest overtures are unlikely to be well received. “Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious teams in world football and for that reason we should have the best players in the world,” Predrag Mijatovic, the Real sporting director, said. “Our members were lucky enough to see Zinédine Zidane in the white shirt and we miss that period when we were winning the Champions League. For that reason, we want Cristiano Ronaldo to be the face of the new Real Madrid.”

One player who is definitely staying at Old Trafford is Rio Ferdinand, the England defender, who is set to sign a new five-year contract. “He's on the point of signing a new contract,” Ferguson said. “We try to get players on longer contracts so that we're not chasing things. Sometimes we may slip up on things like that, but not usually. He's had a fantastic season and has been captain quite a few times when Ryan Giggs has been in the side.”