Fergie may buy back Rossi

United boss admits interest in former striker

By Richard Bailey   Last updated: 23rd November 2008

Giuseppe Rossi

Rossi: Possible United target

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Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he would be interested in re-signing former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi.

The Red Devils sold the Italian in 2007 for £6.6million but the Premier League champions insisted a buy-back clause be inserted into the player's contract.

Ferguson will take a closer look at the American-born striker when United travel to Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League group stages on Tuesday.

It is expected that Rossi would cost United more than they received for him just over a season ago, but Ferguson has insisted that it was a difficult decision to sell him in the first place.

Interest

Ferguson said in the News of the World: "He's a good player, in fact, an excellent player. It was difficult to let him go to Villarreal.

"It was based on the fact that he wanted first-team football and we couldn't guarantee him that.

"When they offered the money they did for him and we got the buy-back clause, it became attractive to us.

"We'd consider buying him back. We will keep our options open."

Ferguson's comments pour further doubt on Carlos Tevez's Old Trafford career as the club have yet to offer the Argentinean a permanent deal, with his two-year loan set to run out at the end of the season.

Tevez has slipped down the pecking order at United since the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov and has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid.

United failed to capitalise on Chelsea and Liverpool's home draws on Saturday as they themselves drew 0-0 with Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The champions find themselves eight points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

But with the World Club Championships approaching in December there are fears that United will face a fixture backlog in the vital months of the title run-in.

This is something that doesn't worry Ferguson.

Congestion

He added: "We are delighted to be playing catch-up because it means we did things right during the previous season.

"To win the event in Tokyo would be great. We won it when it was a one-off game and now we have the opportunity to become the first British team to win it in its new tournament format.

"We will have to manage the second half of this season as best we can. We don't want to get to April and May and have to play rearranged games.

"Fulham and Wigan are our outstanding games and we will try to arrange them for January."