Trio to put pen to paper

At his weekly press conference, Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed Wes Brown has agreed to sign a new contract with Manchester United... and then revealed Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand have done the same.

Speculation has mounted throughout the season over Brown's future, with some media outlets suggesting the defender was likely to leave Old Trafford in the summer.

Reds boss Ferguson admitted that scenario looked possible at one stage, but is delighted Brown has pledged his future to United.

"There's no other club for Wes Brown," Sir Alex said. "He's a Manchester United player. We were always quietly confident he would sign."

The manager went on to reveal a phone call from David Gill on Friday morning had confirmed Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick had also agreed to put pen to paper on new deals.

"It's good that the squad is staying together," he insisted. "It continues our policy of lengthening contracts at the right time and keeps the continuity of the first-team squad going, which we try to do."