Ferguson’s enthusiasm remains strong

“You can’t go back and think about what was nice in your life,” snooker’s doyen Ray Reardon told Steve Davis, then at the very summit of his career. “You have to keep going onwards. Onwards, always onwards.”

And so it is for Sir Alex Ferguson as he plunges into his 21st full season at the helm of Manchester United.

There are those who imagined that having wrested back the Premiership from Chelsea, having triumphantly proved to people, some of whom were very close to him, that his powers had not waned, he should have embraced the sunset. That, however, is a fundamental misunderstanding of the man. Onwards, always onwards.

For those expecting any let-up, this has been a sobering summer. The side that won the Premiership with a goal difference of +56 has simply added more firepower.

Defences worn down by having to deal with the furious energy of Wayne Rooney will now have to cope with Carlos Tevez — who finally signed for the champions on Friday — too. Cristiano Ronaldo may be, at 21, far from the peak of his career but there is also Nani, the most natural talent Sporting Lisbon have nurtured since Ronaldo’s departure, slipping in behind him.

The debate as to whether Owen Hargreaves is a better holding midfielder than Michael Carrick, meanwhile, remains an intriguing one.

It is arguable whether this is the best squad Ferguson has put together in his years in Manchester but when he claims it is the most naturally gifted, there would be few who would dissent. Some believe that Ferguson ought to have shored up his defence rather than simply ordering up more ammunition. When fit and on form, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra have an exceptional combination of experience, flair, grit and speed.

That United finished the campaign with most of them injured says plenty about the resolve at the core of this team. But however hard John ’Shea and Gabriel Heinze fought to fill the gaps, one is a utility player while the other appears determined to leave Old Trafford by any means necessary.

The other question mark revolves around the man behind the back four. It may seem churlish to question a goalkeeper who has just saved three penalties at Wembley and who has been United’s best in that position since Peter Schmeichel.

However, Edwin van der Sar was aware of a decline in his own form at last season’s crisis point, Ben Foster will not wait indefinitely for his chance and Ferguson is an expert pruner. He is happy to believe that, despite their liking for the same withdrawn position behind a lead striker, Tevez and Rooney can and will operate together.

They may go for the same ball, they may attempt the same tricks but if Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs are driving into the box from midfield, United will not lack for goals. And if Tevez and Rooney click, some teams will be torn apart.

However, the players most pivotal to United’s season will not be Anderson, Nani or even Tevez but Giggs, Paul Scholes and Neville, who in so many campaigns have formed a Praetorian Guard for this most ruthless of emperors. They know the course and its distance and they have covered it many times before.

For them and for their manager the direction is always onwards.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH