Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes the spending power of clubs like Manchester City has made the transfer market "insane".
Backed by their wealthy owners, City have spent a fortune on players including Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Carlos Tevez in recent seasons.
That has made it difficult for other clubs, including United, to compete for Europe's top talent.
"Nobody can match their financial power, no one," Ferguson said in The Sunday Telegraph.
"You have to accept that so we do it a different way. We have to look at younger players.
"It's been insane for a while, for a long time, and I think clubs like City create that.
"We need to reassess the way we're going with that in terms of players."
Ferguson confirmed he would be looking to strengthen his squad in the summer.
"There's no doubt we'll be bringing players in," he said. "Maybe two or three, it depends on the kind of market we're dealing with."
Ferguson also admitted the £80million United received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo was starting to look like bad business.
"Real Madrid spent £80 million on Ronaldo and the success he and the club has had justifies that," he said in the Sunday Express.
"They would have probably paid £160 million if they knew they were going to get this.
"We had an agreement that he would be going after staying for another year. Never mind £80 million I'm saying to myself now that it should have been £800 million."
what do you think?
Gary Djuncleabe Kelly
LOL go on Fergie slate City off for doing what you did for years
Steve Pickering
the only reason uts are in debt is the glazers, they are the ones who owe 750mill
stewgwyn
You're right Steve, but I've no sympathy. Try telling that to Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn, playing good football on a shoestring budget with good managers, while trying to balance the books
Davefly Theuniuonflagbrown
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Dorrien Phillips
Hate the guy for his biased and blinded views, but he has a point tbh..The Premier League will end up a 2 horse race if the money is allowed to continue..The UEFA fair play system is supposed to stop all this, but the best way is to place a salary cap on each team..that way they would have to bring through the kids..and then making sure the National Teams get better as the kids are getting a chance.
stewgwyn
Absolutely, back to the maximum wage, I think. Time for some other teams in the top four and a lot more British players coming through. Note that I say British, not English, as all the home nations need a leg-up in the European Championship and World Cup.
Davefly Theuniuonflagbrown
Good idea. Should stop all those English teams getting to te finals of the european chapionship every year and let the rest of europe stand a chance!
Stephen Bayley
LOL MOANING AGAIN, IF HE HAD ALL THE MONEY CITY HAVE WOULD HE COMMENT THEN, HOW EVER HE DOES HAVE A POINT, YOU CAN GOOD AS SAY WHO WILL BE IN TOP FOR 4 NEXT YEAR WOULD BE NICE TO SEE DIFFERENT CLUBS WIN, MONEY HAS COMPLETLEY KILLED THE GAME,
Steve Pickering
its the money the club makes in revenue not the owners bank balance, they will ruin the game becouse they will pay stupid amounts much more that the player is worth.all the players is worried about is wages and £200.000 a week is a joke, and would say there are 2 players ( messi and ronaldo )would command that but thats still to much.
aa aa
Poor old Man United pay Rooney £200k a week. So that kills off fergies excuse about not being able to compete, financially.
surly seagull
Pity he didnt have that view when his precious club were buying everything and everybody ,now the boots on the other foot (scuse the pun ) he doesnt like it .Cant stand the prema donna league and its over paid actors and its biased self important managers who have squeezed the lower leagues and priced them out the market for so long its whats called pay back time .
Dennis Wilkshire
Mind games again Fergie, or is it just jealousy?!!!
David Ferris
laugh at all the people talking about fergies so called massive spending over the years, firstly hes never spent more than about 50 million in one summer, secondly that has only happened a couple of times and that was when it was needed and thirdly and most importantly he was sending manchester uniteds money that was earned through success on the pitch and financial success off it. i suspect you are all liverpool fans because thats been the same tired jealous nonsense every time united win a trophy, its either biased refs, luck or they bought the title. all teams strengthen and liverpool were no strangers to spending big when they were at the top. fergie isnt making excuses hes stating facts. theres no reason why he would need to make excuses hes had the same situation for the last 9 years at chelsea and has still been picking up more titles than them.
aa aa
Interesting last paragraph. He has no reason to make excuses, because he still beat chelsea in the honours for nine years. Then why is he now crying like a girl. Because it's come down to the wire and he knows he's well and truelly beaten. On and off the field. Weheyyyy !!!! Come on city...
stewgwyn
Poor old Fergie! How my heart bleeds after all the millions he's spent over the years. He never thought that the sky- blue half would end up kicking his butt!
Philip Anthony Thorne
Lets get this right Utd have bought players with money generated from the fans due to mainly of late fergies hard work. so there is a difference city would be there usual selves if it were not for mr rich guy, it could have been stoke at top of league if he had bought them. Utd and fergie are not jealous of anybody,look in the mirror all of you and see who is jealous of whom. fact.
aa aa
Man U were one of the rich clubs before fergie came along. They have always had a finacially superior set up. To say Fergie did it without money is utter tripe.Jealousy doesn't come into it. Trying to argue with someone, who is always right is really annoying. Fergie is still fuming because Mancini made him look like a right girl, and kicked his butt on and off the pitch. Typical that he should now start his famous mind games. Wake up mate, jealous of being a ManU supporter. Do me a favour. Come on City, .....
stewgwyn
Philip, United had a world-wide fan base long before Fergie and his ''hard work'', due in no short measure to Matt Busby, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Denis Law, Willie Morgan, need I go on? And they weren't paid squillions then to have logos & sponsors on their kit or TV rights. I'm no United fan but the institution is bigger than the man.
Gerald Watson
2.1 Points per game over 25 seasons speaks for itself. Home grown players coming through the ranks. Respect for that. Bring in the 5 over seas player ruling in european cups, then lets see who moans. English players need to be in abundance not the over seas buyers that want to have a financial outlet. Its time that rules were made to build a more solid english system, not the same hand picked english team year after year. Well done Sir Alex for giving a club 25 years of history. Oh Mr Scholes you deserve a knighthood too for services to football.
stewgwyn
Gerald, not everyone in Britain is English, we have Scottish (your Fergie for one), Welsh and Northern Irish who all need to be included in the ''home grown'' ethic.
stewgwyn
...and don't forget Swansea, doing OK in the Premiership...with an Irish manager.
Ray Stoner
It's not only money that has completely killed the game, it;s the poor excuse for a football that the payers can't control. It acts like a balloon.
aa aa
The same type of ball is used by everyone. So it shouldn't really matter. Todays players are the problem, really.The quality of football would drop through the floor if they had to kick an old Jimmy Greaves ball around. Some of the pansies out there, couldn't even pick one up . Beckham would never have been heard of, without ball technology. Or after shave, for that matter.
John Henderson
A leather ball, on a wet day, would kill half of the current lot of pampered players.
Dorrien Phillips
Remember watching the old ITV repeats of 'The Big Match' (itv's old version of Match of the Day) from the 70's..half the tackles made in one game would get the players banned for life today...
aa aa
A bit childish for a man of his age and experience. The fact that Man U was always the richest club in Europe for a long time, and had the pick of the best, is somehow forgotten. Another couple of big spenders are in town, and Fergie can't compete. The English league is all about money, when the money goes the results go. Everton, Liverpool, Leeds, City, Chelsea.Spurs Etc etc. When they are up in the money league,they get results, when they are relatively poor , as chelsea were, they do poor. He does have a point, but we all know what he's really saying. It's his excuse for when they come second. Mancini kicked his butt on both counts, and he's well and truely spat his dum dum out.
John Henderson
Fergie may well be moaning (again), but in this case he is absolutely right. These multi-millionaires, plus Sky TV, are responsible for ruining the Premiership as a truly competitive league. Clubs like Man City are simply buying success and without the backing of the cashcows they would probably be nowhere. The ability to put together a team of average players and turn them into real winners is far and away a better challenge for any club, but then City (and others) would not know about that. Wait until the millionaires walk away and then see what will happen !
stewgwyn
Yes John, other peoples money isn't a bottomless pit. If success is not immediate and ongoing, they get bored and look elsewhere.
John Houston
Funny how Fergie thought it was ok to spend big when he was buying the likes of Rooney and Berbetov!!! For years Man Utd were able to outbid all other English teams but now he doesn't like it when others are able to compete with him.
Allan Evans
I agree that transfer fees are stupid. BUT the very last person to moan should be that spoiled brat Fergie!
Margaret M. Mason
Come off it Fergie, Man Utd.had their days when money was very available, don't spoil it. City were not always rich. Be magnaminous You're still classed the Greatest. No sour grapes please! Half RED half BLUE.
Brian Mckeown
And I supopose you havent ferguson, sour grapes typical of a poor loser. What about the sky high wages that you pay Rooney, and Co worthless overpaid up their own backsides footballers. They need to take a page out of Drogbas books how much to your stars donate to any charity execpt Mercedes, Aston Marton and the likes. You speak a load of rubbish at times
j.r.haynes
8:27am on 6/5/2012
Getting his excuses in first - what a joke, he's such an old hypocrite!! Buying more than he needed is EXACTLY what he did in the past.