Sir Alex Ferguson has risked triggering outrage among Manchester United fans by claiming he will not spend another penny of the £80million banked from Cristiano Ronaldo's sale.
The Barclays Premier League champions were expected to embark on a huge spending spree this summer after flogging their star asset to Real Madrid.
But Ferguson, who unveiled new boys Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan today, has stunned supporters by insisting no-one will follow the trio into Old Trafford because of the inflated transfer market.
'It is the end of our business, so all these stories about who were are supposed to be getting - forget it,' said Ferguson.
Despite resigning themselves to losing Ronaldo, United fans were confident that Ferguson would splash the cash after he was given the green light to spend all of the £80m.
The United boss attempted to sign Karim Benzema from Lyon before the striker opted to join Ronaldo at Real for £36m.
'In a way we benefited through the sale of Cristiano, although that figure was
non-negotiable. But I feel we have a good squad, which meant there was no need for knee-jerk reactions.
'We asked about Benzema and we had a value for him. Lyon have done well because they got 42million euros but I think we took a sensible view.'
Ferguson has also lost striker Carlos Tevez, who is expected to sign for rivals Manchester City, while Bayern Munich Franck Ribery appears to have fallen off the radar.
He has also been linked with big-money moves for Sergio Aguero, Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic but he now looks set to keep with his current squad.
Owen, who has signed a two-year deal after joining on a free transfer from Newcastle, is confident he can help fill the void left by Ronaldo and Tevez.
'I’m hungry to do well here,' said Owen, who will take over Ronaldo's No 7 shirt.
'If this challenge doesn’t put a spring in your step and a smile on your face then nothing will. I still believe I can do well at a top team like Manchester United.'
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