Sir Alex Ferguson is starting to sense a challenge to England's established order. The Manchester United manager's comments come after Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle United manager, drew criticism for calling the Barclays Premier League boring.

"Go back seven or eight years ago and you didn't think Chelsea were going to be a top-four team until [Roman] Abramovich came in," Ferguson said. "Change can happen.

"There is a lot of money floating around the Premier League now and somebody may just take it by the throat and have a real go at it. Tottenham will buy a lot of players this year. There is optimism down there now after winning the League Cup. There also seems to be a lot of money at Manchester City, £80 million I read the other day."

But it is not just at White Hart Lane and Eastlands that Ferguson can see ambition taking hold. "Everton almost got there this season," he said. "They were having a great run until they started getting a few injuries, and Aston Villa have had a fantastic year as well.

"I have made the point a few times this season that you can see a slight wind of change. There have been more surprise results from the so-called lesser teams against the big teams than before.

"I just think Kevin chose the wrong word. What Kevin is saying is that it is a predictable league at the moment because the top four have been the same top four for the last few years."