Norman Hubbard: Athletes give way to aesthetes at United

Sir Alex Ferguson seems to like pinning his colours to the corner of the unappreciated. The Manchester United manager's contrary streak has come to the fore on the club's pre-season tour. Not for the first time, he has defended the Glazers, despite the evidence United would have rather more spending power but for the debts they lumped on the club. Less controversially and more instructively, he has also described Michael Carrick as "the key player" in his midfield.