AS United attempt to flex their financial muscle during the transfer window manager Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to master wheeler-dealer Sam Allardyce at neighbours Bolton.

The Wanderers boss has used his transfer market knack of timing a swoop perfectly to persuade some of Europe's top talent to reinvent themselves at the Reebok.

Capturing crowd-pleasing quality in the likes of Jay Jay Okocha and World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff has been a masterstroke.

Luring Ivan Campo from Real Madrid and Southampton's Kevin Davies from St Mary's when their careers were treading water has underpinned Bolton's fight to attain a strong foothold in the Premiership after struggles with relegation.

Now Allardyce could be set to throw in his latest recruit, new season-long loan acquisition Javi Moreno from Atletico Madrid, into the fire against the Reds tonight.

And Fergie is full of praise for the Bolton boss's team building talent.

"Sam has done a great job in picking players who are needing a challenge or are just out of the first team," says the United manager.

Quality

"The boy Moreno he has signed is a good player. However, he was not getting a regular game at Atletico Madrid because of a young centre forward Fernando Torres who is in there. Torres is an exceptional talent and could keep three-quarters of the strikers in Europe out.

"Sam has the great ability to pick the moment when he is able to get these players as he's done with Moreno. He brought in Kevin Davies from Southampton just when he needed that freshness of challenge. Sam has done very well with that.

"It is an amazing job he has done without money. It has been a case of beg, borrow and steal for him. He has got a team on the pitch in all different ways through loans and then eventually doing deals for the likes of Campo and Okocha.

"But it is always the profile managers of the big clubs who get the praise. As he says himself if his name was Sam Allardici he might get better recognition!"

Bolton have been a thorn in United's side since they came up to the Premiership in 2001 and recently have similarly upset the applecart in the title race.

Past success

The Wanderers won twice in successive seasons at Old Trafford before the Reds arrested that trend with a 4-0 beating at home on the opening day of this campaign.

Last February the eventual champions came within a whisker of dropping all three points at the Reebok before a last minute Ole Solskjaer equaliser rescued a point.

This term United's championship rivals Arsenal and Chelsea both failed to beat Bolton in December. Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at Stamford Bridge while the Gunners were made to fight for a point at the Reebok.

Improvement

"I have watched the game versus Arsenal and they played really well. I think it could be in an indication of an improvement," added Fergie.

"But I think they have got better, not just against the Arsenals and Chelseas, they have improved in their general play. What Bolton are now proving is that they are a good team."

Ferguson stressed that moving into the New Year emphasises the need to avoid errors as the title battle builds up to a spring crescendo. But he's backing his champions as the pressure increases in the three-way race.

"We are coming to that bit of the season now where it matters more. We are into the run-in towards the flag," he says.

"It is the last lap and games will come thick and fast. You run out of time and games.

"Mistakes are more magnified now. I tend to think that making mistakes will be a killer this year. Chelsea, Arsenal and ourselves are so close together you don't want to be making mistakes."

Rio Ferdinand has recovered from the flu and Phil Neville is fit again following an ankle injury in training.

Key players: Bolton - Jay-Jay Okocha - perhaps the one player in Bolton's squad that Ferguson could make use of at Old Trafford.

United - Paul Scholes - despite still not being back to his very best he destroyed Villa. Bolton hould beware.

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