Alex Ferguson rules out further signings

MANCHESTER ( United Kingdom): Alex Ferguson has ruled out any more summer signings at Manchester United and insists time is running out for any player looking to leave.

Ferguson unveiled Dutch defender Alexander Buttner at his Friday news conference, with the former Vitesse player having completed his move to United on Tuesday.


He follows Shinji Kagawa, Robin van Persie and Nick Powell to Old Trafford while Chilean teenager Angelo Henriquez also completed a move to United this week.

But Ferguson insists that there will be no more incoming players despite rumoured interest in Mexico's Hector Herrera.


And time is also running out for Dimitar Berbatov, who is trying to seal a move away following the arrival of Robin van Persie.

Ferguson said: "We definitely won't be buying anyone else, that's for sure. There's no movement I can tell you about. There's only a few days left to the deadline and it will all pass quickly, I imagine."

Van Persie made his debut in United's 1-0 defeat to Everton on Monday night as a late substitute but Ferguson has revealed the Dutchman could start when United face Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The United boss admitted he would prefer the former Arsenal striker to have more games -- but is ready to give him a start.


He said: "He's had a few days training since Monday. In an ideal world he would be better with two or three games under his belt but it's a home game and there's every chance he could start."


Ferguson also revealed that Buttner will provide the right competition for Patrice Evra, as the Frenchman has been playing too much in recent seasons.


"It gives us that back up as you said we have defensive injuries at the moment," he added.

"Patrice Evra could play centre back, he has done before in the past but it gives us a stronger squad, that's the most important thing."


"Buttner's a straight-forward, attacking, quick full back. He will be a terrific addition to us.


"When you consider Patrice Evra for the last five years has played an average of 48 games a season. It's an incredible statistic and Alex comes now to challenge that position."


Danny Welbeck signed a new-four year deal with United on Wednesday and Ferguson revealed it was a difficult negotiation with the player's agent, as the striker's injury problems coming through the ranks were a concern.


But the United boss was relieved to tie the England international down.


He said: "It wasn't an easy negotiation with his agent. It's always difficult to assess their level at that age.

"Bearing in mind that Danny has had growth problems all the time, therefore he had a lot of minor injuries that sometimes kept him out for periods.


"Last season was exactly that. He had two injuries but he's getting stronger and in two years he will be an outstanding player. We're delighted to get him on a contract."


Ferguson has now called on his side to bounce back following Monday's surprise defeat to Everton but knows that they are facing a difficult challenge against Fulham.


"I went to see Fulham on Saturday, they played very well. The club has grown tremendously since Roy (Hodgson) got them to the Europa League final.


"The place is buzzing, full house every week, good atmosphere, their home record is terrific and they've got a lot of experienced players -- six players over 30.


"It won't be an easy game, we're at home, we have to make an impact quickly after losing Monday night and we expect that."

Lance Armstrong plots strategy after loss of titles

LOS ANGELES: Cyclist Lance Armstrong plotted his career strategy on Saturday after the US anti-doping agency banned him from the sport for life and stripped him of the record seven Tour de France titles. USADA branded Armstrong a dope cheat on Friday, a day after the 40-year-old Texan said he would not pursue a bid to clear himself of charges that he used performance enhancing drugs to win cycling's most prestigious race from 1999 to 2005.


The agency laid out five rule violations for which Armstrong has been sanctioned, saying the cancer survivor who became a hero to millions took part in a systematic doping conspiracy with his then US Postal Service team. It said that, as Armstrong has dropped out of an arbitration process, he "has received a lifetime period of ineligibility and disqualification of all competitive results from August 1, 1998 through the present".


Along with his celebrated haul of Tour titles, Armstrong stands to lose the Olympic bronze medal he won in 2000 along with other race titles, prize money and other awards.  The International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body based in Aigle, Switzerland, had been fighting USADA for jurisdiction over Armstrong's case and said Friday it wanted to see USADA's full explanation for the sanctions before acting.


However, USADA's statement made it clear they believe the UCI is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to back up its findings.


"Because Mr. Armstrong could have had a hearing before neutral arbitrators to contest USADA's evidence and sanction and he voluntarily chose not to do so, USADA's sanction is final," the agency's statement said. Armstrong had long denied accusations of doping but said Thursday he would no longer even address the issue. "Today I turn the page," he said. But hours after USADA's announcement on Friday he made it clear that doesn't mean he'll disappear, tweeting his intention to compete in a local mountain bike race in the Aspen area in Colorado called the Power of Four.


"Excited to be racing the #poweroffour tomorrow here in @AspenCO," Armstrong tweeted, apparently confident of a warm welcome from the local cycling community. Certainly Armstrong had already received support from leaders of the anti-smoking and anti-cancer causes that he champions, and from sports apparel giant Nike.

"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors," the firm said. Armstrong, who has branded the USADA probe a "witch hunt, had gone to court in a bid to block the agency's proceedings.


But on Monday a federal judge in his hometown of Austin dismissed his lawsuit, leaving Armstrong until midnight on Thursday to tell USADA whether or not he would seek arbitration. "I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," Armstrong said Thursday. "The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today -- finished with this nonsense." USADA maintains that Armstrong used banned substances -- including the blood-booster EPO, steroids and blood transfusions -- dating back to 1996, and said 10 of his former teammates were ready to testify against him.


If the UCI confirms the move, it faces a potential headache of choosing new winners for the seven disputed tours, as a number of cyclists who finished behind the American have also been implicated in doping scandals.

Indeed, Armstrong has argued that at least some of the witnesses who have implicated him cannot be trusted as they are themselves admitted dope cheats.


Former teammate Floyd Landis, who finally admitted doping years after he was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title, accused Armstrong of systematic doping, helping trigger a federal government probe of Armstrong and others. That investigation ended in February with no criminal charges brought, but it apparently provided further impetus to USADA's probe of the cyclist.

USADA said it also had blood tests taken from 2009-2010, when Armstrong briefly came out of retirement to compete internationally again, that were "fully consistent" with blood doping. Armstrong, who retired from cycling last year, said he passed hundreds of drug tests during his career and adhered to the rules in place at the time of his Tour de France wins. "I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair," he said, alleging that from the start the probe had been "about punishing me at all costs." However, World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey said Armstrong's decision not to fight the charges could only be seen as an admission of guilt. "There can be no other interpretation," he said.