The United boss, appearing at a charity golf event at Loch Lomond, refused to discuss the possible departure of last season's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
However, Ferguson included the Portuguese international in a list of young players he feels will show improvement next season while revealing that his veteran stars Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville will play an important part in next season's campaign.
Indeed, Ferguson claimed that Neville, who was out for more than a year with an ankle injury, will resume his captaincy duties when he returns.
"I think we have a good team," the United boss said. "But I think there is still some development to come.
"There are some young players who appeared last season that did very well but for periods showed their youthfulness by being inconsistent.
"Those young players will come on a bundle now.
"That triumph of winning the league and the Champions League can only help us and players like Anderson, Nani, Rooney and Ronaldo will emerge from that and be really top players for us.
"Nani and Anderson will improve and that is the reason we bought them, to replace Scholes and Giggs in the long term.
"Giggs is 34 now but with the way we can control the number of games he plays, he still gives us a bit of real quality.
"He won't play every game but if he gives me 25 games of real quality, which he can do because he has looked after himself, that can keep us at the forefront in terms of players who can decide matches.
"And without question Scholes will give us another couple of years at the top level.
Return
"Van der Sar has looked after himself, that's the key to it first of all, and he will be back for us.
"He will get a good break now.
"I've told him to take as much of a holiday as he wants because at his age he knows what's best for him."
Ferguson, who claimed he might only make one summer signing, added: "I hope that Gary Neville can come back, I'm sure he can.
"Of course at 33 it is always difficult if you have been out of the team for a year.
"But he is such a determined character that you wouldn't bet against him and if he does, it gives us another string to our bow in terms of experience which is important at stages of the season.
"He still has the desire and of course he is the captain of the club and that will give him the incentive to get back.
"He knows when he come back he will be the captain.
"So hopefully it will be another great season for us."
Ferguson expects the top four of United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal to be battling among themselves again for the title next season.
"I don't see anyone outside emerging so strongly that they are going to interrupt that four," the former Aberdeen boss said.
"You expect Liverpool to buy players and Arsenal have shown their hand.
"They have bought (Samir) Nasri (who is set to join from Marseille) and the young boy Aaron Ramsay so they obviously will be up there too.
"So I expect the same ones (to challenge)."
How long do you think United's veterans have left? Have your say.
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Fredrik, Sweden (30/06/2008 at 15:53)
At least we have Brown who did an excellent job last season and also OH who can play RB. So it is more important to get a new striker rather than a RB.
It will be very interesting to follow the progress of Nani and Andersson, and maybe Possibon will get some games.
edinburgh red, edinburgh (30/06/2008 at 16:12)
Jaco, South Africa (30/06/2008 at 16:45)
Scholes was also not that impressive for me last season. After his goal in the semi against Barca, he was so overhyped by fans and commentators alike. He is not the same player he was 2+ years ago. We need Anderson to replace him, but Anderson must play in a more advanced role, with Hargreaves covering the back 4. This will allow Anderson some freedom to show his true forte - remember he used to play as a striker for Gremio, so If we do play him in a true attacking midfield position, I expect to see some goals from him this season.
Fergie, your loyalto towards to so called old guard is misplaced - play the strongest possible team, and when we have the luxury of resting one of those players, then bring in the likes of Giggs and Scholes.
Looking at the decline of Giggs and Scholes at their ages, I am not too optimistic of Gary Neville returning as the same player he was before. Hopefully he will prove me wrong, but I would prefer to get in a replacement specialist right back.
Danny, Wilmslow (30/06/2008 at 17:10)
tony vaughan (30/06/2008 at 18:20)
brian meanwell (30/06/2008 at 20:36)
Lets not fall into the complacency trap again Fergie!
tonimikie, Lagos (30/06/2008 at 22:31)
Gerry, Glastonbury (30/06/2008 at 23:07)
Nani & Anderson should start 35 games each next season.
The 'Nevster' will only play in the easier games. Wes is a bolt on now. He was utterly outstanding towards the end of last season at FB & CB. ALL 3 of the 'Twilight Zone' can still do us proud.
Octavius Tinsworth Ace (01/07/2008 at 01:35)
However, I'm all for continuity and stability. Fergie will probably have to find a replacement for Ronaldo, and maybe a more reliable striker than Saha, but that's it. There's absolutely no need for anyone else. Brown has done fantastically well at right-back and Evra is second to none on the other side. We have the best two central defenders in the country (maybe the best two in Europe, even), and appear to have more midfielders than we can shake a stick at, with Nani and Anderson bound to progress further next year. Foster should be kept at all costs as an eventual replacement for Van Der Sar, with Kuszczak a capable backup. There's absolutely no need to make significant changes other than replacements for Ronaldo and Saha.
red (01/07/2008 at 07:53)
Carbed up to the max...(hydates, monoxide, footprint) - oh yeah! (01/07/2008 at 08:30)
Come on SAF - last year it was your greatest ever team. What's changed?
Thomas, Norway (01/07/2008 at 08:47)
mancmanomyst, Wythenshawe (01/07/2008 at 10:09)
It is true that he is not the lightning fast player he once was but he is a big influence on the other players. When people like Ronaldo and Rooney lose their cool it is players like Giggs and Scholes who have been there before that calm things down. They are far more astute and tactically aware than the younger generation and we are only seeing the best of the young exciting players because they are learning from the older players just as the tribe of 92 learnt from players like Robbo, Cantona and Hughes.
Scholes may not score the goals he used to but he controls the tempo in midfield when he plays - he is perhaps the most intelligent footballer in the world. He doesnt need to score goals to prove himself - that what the new crop are for but he is the conductor of our orchestra and when he isn't there we don't dominate games the same way.
I can understand people criticising Park. He's very frustrating like Poborsky and Forlan - he is a decent player with good heart but cant shoot but he is still a worthy squad player.
Carrick is improving and will eventually take over Scholes (and previously Keano's) job of dictating the midfield.
I wish people would stop criticising Fletcher. Players like Fletcher and O'Shea get criticised because they are versatile and not flair players and because they are unselfish and do a job for the team without starting every game and dont complain.
We need the gritty hard working players in the team like Buttys, Phil Nevilles and Fletchers just as much if not more than we need the Ronaldos but they get all the praise just because they do the scoring.
Fletcher is a far better player than people realise. United tried to play him against Aston Villa in 2000 when he was just 15 because he is THAT good. You all end up eating your words when we come up against an Arsenal or a Chelsea and he controls the midfield and we win - leave him alone
george (01/07/2008 at 10:13)
MANUTD fan based in OldTrafford, Old Trafford (01/07/2008 at 11:56)
i still think we need 3 or 4 knew players . defender , powerhouse midfeilder or mountino ,young qulity winger/lennon or young ,and a striker eto'o Adriono
Danny, Wilmslow (01/07/2008 at 12:39)
choices_made, wokingham (01/07/2008 at 13:33)
giggs only showed flashes of his past best, i cant remeber a game wher ei thought he played consistently well throughout.
scholes was hot and cold, there were a few great games (i.e. pompey , barca) but some terrible ones as well (lyon springs straight to mind), he sits a lot deeper now so doesnt score the goals of old.
nani will score more this season and im hoping andersons shooting improves (fabregas was the same in his first couple of seasons with his shooting) but we still cant expect that much from those two until the seaosn after next. if ronaldo were to leave, where would we be for the goals we need? rooney- 20, tevez - 20, giggs - 3, nani - 5, scholes - 3, anderson - 3, carrick - 4, hargreaves - 3. not really the numbers we need
Roy (01/07/2008 at 15:04)
For the title before last everyone and his dog was on the scoresheet. That was one extreme just as this last season with the scoring clustered around a select few was another.
Either cash is an issue or SAF believes several players will come good. With Scholes, Giggs and Neville being faded out, the onus will fall increasingly on the likes of Rio, Hargreaves and Tevez, while Rooney, Nani and Anderson must all improve significantly. This is a big ask.
However this new, one signing will be, much will be expected of him.
Drifter, Mancunia (01/07/2008 at 18:02)
Duncan, London (02/07/2008 at 09:28)
I think, if anything, the players that we bought last year need time to bed in and play with an understanding with the players around them. One thing I felt last year is that the midfield didn't play as much like a unit as you would want. Maybe less disruption from the appearance of too many new signings would be good this year. It would also be nice to see some youngsters come through as well.