The Red Devils were quick out of the blocks this time last summer, following their league title win with the acquisition of Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and then Carlos Tevez on loan, with a permanent deal as good as agreed.
A Premier League-Champions League double ensued as United established themselves as, at least on form, the greatest team in Europe. With time on the side of many of their star players, Sir Alex has long suggested that changes will be few and far between.
There were murmurs that there may be investment in a right-back, but the Scot is keeping faith with last season's biggest overachiever, Wes Brown, and also backing Gary Neville to return to full fitness and give the club at least one more good year, even announcing that he will retain the captaincy despite spending almost the entire of last season out with various injuries.
The boss did acknowledge that the side were light up front and it has since been made public that he was eyeing last summer's mooted transfer target, Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur, to add another dimension to the club's attacking options, as it looks increasingly unlikely that Angola star Manucho Goncalves will be granted a work permit.
The boss' interest in Berba has cooled since Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy's public attack on both he and Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez. Liverpool got their man in Robbie Keane, but the high asking price rumoured to be in the region of £30 million for the Bulgarian was enough to put United off considering a further move for the player.
Ferguson has announced that youngster Frazier Campbell will be staying at the club following an impressive pre-season. Also, a damning assessment of what lies ahead for Louis Saha came at that same moment, when the boss declared that currently, United only had two strikers in Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
Beyond that, though, all indications point to the same squad lining up later this month when the season kicks off. "We might well start 2008-09 with largely the squad we had last season - and after all, they didn't do too badly," Sir Alex sarcastically quipped.
"We have not brought in the kind of top-quality player everyone seems to be expecting.
"We are still researching and looking but it is not easy and certainly we are not desperate.
"We have the right balance of youth and experience thanks to the work we did in the transfer market the previous year.
"In terms of numbers we have been boosted by the return from loan of several young players who have the potential to go all the way.
"So I think we already have the men for the job."
Autor: Brian O'Ryan
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