Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that his Manchester United players had presented him with a selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final.
Ferguson watched his title-winning United side bring the curtain down on their successful domestic campaign with a 4-2 victory over Blackpool which relegated their opponents at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The result ensured United finished nine points clear of second-placed Chelsea – their biggest winning margin since they finished 10 points clear of Arsenal in the 2000-01 season.
Ferguson made nine changes to the side that drew at Blackburn eight days earlier to secure a record 19th title.
And he admitted he had a selection headache as his side look to complete a Premier League-Champions League double by defeating Barcelona at Wembley.
“I think I could pick four or five teams and they wouldn’t let me down,” said Ferguson after United fought back from 2-1 down to record a 15th straight home league win.
Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung all featured against Blackpool and all five are expected to play key parts against Barcelona.
Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia, who were on the bench against Blackpool, are also expected to start.
“All that nonsense about this not being a great Manchester United team. It’s a great feat,” added Ferguson as he reflected on the last nine months.
“The players have been great and they deserve it. There’s been a lot of great performances.
“Our target was to do our best. Yes, we had some disappointing performances away from home, but at home we have been fantastic. We scored another four goals (vs Blackpool), seven against Blackburn, five against Birmingham.
“We’ve beaten Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, here. We’ve beaten all the top teams here. That’s pretty good.”
Nemanja Vidic dedicated the club’s 19th Premier League title to United fans and warned that “it’s not going to be the last one” as the Serbian defender got his hands on the Premier League trophy.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Vidic. “The 19th in Manchester United’s history, I hope it’s definitely not going to be the last one but it means a lot to the fans and to the players.
“We’re definitely enjoying this moment and now we will think about Barcelona.”