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MLS ALL-STAR GAME

July 28, 2010

Ryan Giggs

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Manchester United Â– 5
MLS All Stars - 2

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to thank our guests from Manchester United for joining us, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs. We'll start with a few opening comments from the manager.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, the thing I was looking for tonight was, as I said before the game, the possession of the ball. We were much better at that tonight. Through that we got really good tempo to our game, good rhythm in our play. I think it was a pretty good performance by us.
Yes, of course, we got a good start to the match going in in under 30 seconds. But I think the team were confident tonight. They were ready for this type of challenge. Very good performance.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Sir Alex, thoughts on this collection of MLS All-Stars that you faced tonight?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, they are exactly what I expected: very athletic, competitive team, good attitude to play in the game. But I think tonight they caught us on a good night and it was very difficult for them.

Q. Sir Alex, this upcoming season is poised to be one of United's best with all of your young players. Can you talk about players like Cleverley, Jonny Evans, how you think they're fitting in with this new team.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, Jon Evans, of course, is much more experienced than Tom Cleverley. He's been a first-team player for three years in and out. Got him good experience along the way. Whereas Tom Cleverley, one, physically wasn't ready for the demands of the Premier League. But his spell at Leicester City and Watford has brought him along tremendously. Even as a kid of 13 years of age, he was a talented boy.
Now this year he's much stronger, coping with the kind of physical demands he's going to get on the first team.

Q. Sir Alex, Javier was clocked as the quickest player in the World Cup. How does he add a speed element to your team? How do you think he'll work in combination with Wayne Rooney?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, you know, the one thing defenders always worry about is players with speed. They always worry about the space behind them. Of course, when you see his goal tonight, it's an indication of that speed.
The timing of his run coming towards the ball, spinning, he's going to be an athletic defender, there's no question about that.
How the combination with Wayne will work, you know, I think we need to adjust a little bit to it because I think both could be similar types of players. At the moment I think we'll just really assess them really well and make sure we can bring them to a good consistent form.
There's still little things to do, but not a great deal in terms of his technique and things like that. I think once he gets used to our training, he'll be okay.

Q. How pleased were you with the quality of the goals you scored tonight?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, we always think Macheda is the best going through the goalkeeper we have. He's outstanding at that in these positions. When he went through, I expected him to score. It was a well-taken goal.
But the two goals, the last two goals from Cleverley, were absolutely outstanding. The confidence to do what he did, the composure to finish it. It was an outstanding goal. As I said, Chicharito's run was outstanding, timed it well, worked the goalkeeper well. So pleased with that.

Q. How have you found the support for United here in the States as compared with your other tours in other countries?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Well, we're never surprised. Everywhere our club goes they have support, as you saw tonight, everywhere. It's an unusual club. Apart from its history, it's got a romance about it. I think also, credit to the club, they play the right way. We're good at developing young players with spirit, it's always been a strong part of our club.
We were really delighted tonight. I think when you go and play in the stadium tonight, the size of the crowd and the atmosphere, you're motivated by that. I think that was a good omen for our players tonight. To come out, see the stadium, good pitch, big crowd, perfect for them.

Q. Sir Alex, how encouraging is it to have the options of Macheda and Hernandez for the start of the season given that Michael Owen is injured and Wayne is only just coming back?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: It gives us the backup we're going to need.
We'll start to maybe think about it again, but for Welbeck and Diouf to go out in one. If you add him to our young shakers, we're healthy there. But I believe Welbeck does need games.
I need to keep Macheda and Hernandez, who just joined the club, that's imperative. There's a purpose there in the way they play their football. It's not just talent. You don't play our club with just talent, you play with something, and they've got something else. I'm pleased with that.

Q. Injury-wise, did you come through tonight unscathed?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: No. Obertan will be out for a couple of weeks. Hopefully that's all. Maybe one or two bumps or bruises. Nani got a knock. Fletcher got a knock. But nothing serious.

Q. Through your USA tour, which team did you find most difficult to face and do you expect Macheda to show up in the PL similar to tonight?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: I think tonight was going to be our biggest test and I think we were well-prepared for it. I think in Kansas, we were feeling the effects of the heat. They played well. Can't complain about the result in that game.
I would place Philadelphia and Kansas not much between the two. Possibly Kansas was just a little bit ahead of Philadelphia, but not a lot between the two sites. Whereas tonight you're not playing a team with players every week. Whether that's an advantage or not, I don't know. But we realized it would be tough to perform tonight.
We got a great start to the game. It's very difficult for a team to have a goal in 20 odd seconds and recover against a club like Manchester United. It's very difficult.

Q. Ryan, in light of last weekend's loss, did you feel there was a bit more purpose about your game tonight and your teammates' game? Did you bring a little bit more edge to the field tonight?
RYAN GIGGS: Yeah, we were all disappointed with the defeat in Kansas. What you try and get is a reaction. I think we got that tonight on a huge stage. The young players played brilliantly, showed a lot of character. When the MLS All-Stars got it back to 2-1, it could have made it difficult.
But there was a young team out there then and they reacted in the right way. They didn't panic. They kept playing the football and ended up scoring three really good goals.
Like the manager says, you just don't have to have the talent, you need to have the character and the temperament. I think the young players showed that tonight.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone. Thank you to Manchester United for your time.

End of FastScripts

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