Graphic: the only way is up for Manchester United

Manchester City officials are increasingly bemused by Sir Alex Ferguson’s reaction to their newfound wealth, with the Manchester United manager using his club’s official media outlets this week to warn Mark Hughes of the pressures that accompany the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG).

Ferguson has been dismissive of City’s prospects since their fortunes were transformed by the prospect of the ADUG takeover at the start of this month and, in an interview in United’s official magazine, he displays the warmth of a man whose uncouth next-door neighbours have won a double rollover on the National Lottery. In the interview he talks of the pressure that Hughes, the City manager, will face as a result of heightened expectations, while dismissing the idea that youngsters in Manchester might be more tempted to support City than United.

It is the latest sign that City’s takeover is causing unease among the Premier League’s establishment. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said this week, again in an official club magazine, that he “cannot really find a rational answer” as to why Sheikh Mansour has bought the club. Hughes shrugged off Wenger’s comments, saying that it was “nice that Arsène has such a concern for what is happening at our club”, but City officials have been more surprised by Ferguson’s remarks on the matter.

“Back in the 1950s Sunderland were called ‘The Bank of England Team’ — and they got relegated,” Ferguson said in his latest interview. “There are no guarantees. You can buy 11 individuals — you can buy 11 Robinhos — but it wouldn’t be a team, would it? The art of management is building a team with balance, with certain characteristics that blend with each other — that’s the most important thing. He \ will be faced with that situation, having all this money and wondering what to do with it, and that can put you under additional pressure.”

Such comments might be seen as well-intentioned advice to Hughes, one of his best-loved former players, but they have not been taken that way at City. Nor have his comments about the likelihood of City affecting United’s local fan base. “Supporting football clubs is an inherent thing,” Ferguson said. “You normally follow the team that your father or your grandfather followed. That loyalty remains all your life and it applies to fans up and down the country, big or small. I don’t think any 13-year-olds will be jumping ship because City have a load of money.”

Ferguson’s more immediate concern is tomorrow’s home match against another of their local rivals, Bolton Wanderers. After a slow start to the season, with a solitary win from their first four Barclays Premier League matches, United will be expected to win, but Ferguson is anxious to discover today which of his three senior goalkeepers will be fit to face Gary Megson’s team.

Ben Foster has been ruled out with a twisted ankle, while Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak have had their training restricted this week because of a bruised knee and a thigh strain respectively. Ferguson expects at least one of Van der Sar and Kuszczak, possibly both, to train fully today, but Ben Amos, 18, is on standby after making his debut in the Carling Cup third-round victory at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

Ferguson has some difficult choices with his team selection tomorrow, most notably in attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez and Dimitar Berbatov competing for places in the starting line-up. Rooney, who has yet to score for United this season, could be the man to miss out against Bolton.