Ferguson rides into new storm over Eriksson

As if a week of headlines over the Beckham flying boot affair was not enough, Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday found himself embroiled in further controversy after stating in a newspaper interview that Sven Goran Eriksson had informally agreed to take over at Manchester United last year. Ferguson claimed that the England coach had "shaken hands" on a deal to replace him as Manchester United manager before he changed his mind and decided to remain at Old Trafford.

The claim has caused major embarrassment to Eriksson, the Football Association and the United board and forced Peter Kenyon, the Old Trafford chief executive, and Ferguson himself to clarify their positions.

Ferguson yesterday admitted that, despite his comments in the interview, he was not certain the agreement for Eriksson to take over at the start of the current campaign had existed. Kenyon quickly denied it, but, in admitting that interviews had taken place, he did not clarify whether he had spoken to Eriksson, increasing the likelihood that he was among the selected candidates.

"We never concluded a deal with Sven," Kenyon said. "On the basis that Sir Alex was going to retire, we had to do the right thing for Manchester United. We interviewed several candidates and our job was to get the best possible man."

The affair will do nothing for Eriksson's relationship with the manager of England's most successful club, which has already been strained over the question of the release of players for national duty. Eriksson was said last night to be seething over Ferguson's comments, which are hugely embarrassing for a manager already under fire for his team's recent below-par performances. The fact that doubts have been cast over Eriksson's commitment to the England job will inevitably weaken his position.

The Football Association opted for a public silence on the affair, privately referring back to Eriksson's declaration barely a fortnight ago that he had not had any contact with United over the possibility of his replacing Ferguson.

Eriksson was widely linked with the United post when it seemed that Ferguson would be retiring, as were the Celtic manager, Martin O'Neill, and Milan's Fabio Capello, although Kenyon insisted he had secured his first-choice candidate when Ferguson changed his stance and signed a new three-year contract.

The United manager admitted yesterday that he could be "hard work" – and that could be why the Old Trafford board might have been looking for a less confrontational manager. "I thought he [Eriksson] was the right man for the job," Ferguson said. "If you look at the different managerial styles, after having 15 years of Alex Ferguson I think Manchester United quite rightly were looking for someone completely different, with a different approach. That is only natural because 15 years of me is hard work."

Ferguson's comments yesterday, however, contrasted with the views he had expressed in the interview, when he claimed that Eriksson's easy-going nature would have suited Manchester United's corporate image perfectly.

"I think Sven Eriksson would have been a nice easy choice for them [the United directors] in terms of nothing really happens, does it?" he said. "He doesn't change anything. He sails along, nobody falls out with him. He comes out and says: 'The first half we were good, second half we were not so good. I am very pleased with the result'.

"I think he'd have been all right for United, you know what I mean? The acceptable face."