On a par with '99

Harry Redknapp believes his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson has created a squad which is close to matching the treble-winners of 1999. Redknapp believes it is a mark of Ferguson's quality that he can continue to deliver teams capable of competing at the very highest level, typified by the famous Champions League-winning side of almost nine years ago. "Alex has done a fantastic job there, hasn't he? I was at Bournemouth when I first met him 20-odd years ago and the team he's put together now could be one of his best," said the Portsmouth manager. "He's up there with all the great managers; Cloughie, Shankly, Busby – all the greats. Alex is not far from having another team as good as the one which had David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in his prime and won the treble," Redknapp added. "But with Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and the rest of them now it's another fantastic team. You can't write off Chelsea and certainly not Arsenal but, for me, United are still favourites to take the title again."
Bill Pierce, The Independent