Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has fired a word of warning at rivals Manchester City that it will take more than pots of money to buy them success.
Just three days after crushing Portsmouth 6-0 in the Premier League, City were dumped out of the League Cup in a penalty shoot-out by lower division side Brighton.
Ferguson saw it as an important lesson for his local rivals.
“It's all very well having all the money but you can't buy everyone. It was proved in the summer,” he said.
“We didn't want to sell Ronaldo, other clubs don't want to sell their best players, and there are only so many players you can buy.”
Ferguson, who has reached 21 years as United manager, told the club's official magazine, Inside United: “Back in the 1950's Sunderland were called 'The Bank of England Team' – and they got relegated. 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.”
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes, who played under Ferguson at Old Trafford, has been promised time to achieve success by the club's hugely wealthy new owners from Abu Dhabi.
But Ferguson added: “Mark Hughes will be faced with that situation having all this money and wondering what to do with it, and that can put you under a bit of additional pressure.”
