Sir Alex Ferguson's interest in the Standard Liège captain, Steven Defour, was revealed to the world in embarrassing circumstances for the Manchester United manager today when it emerged he had written a letter of sympathy to the 21-year-old midfielder wishing him a speedy recovery from a broken metatarsal and promising that he will "remain in contact" with the Belgium club.
Ferguson also promised Defour that he would continue to chart his progress once he has recovered from an injury that is expected to keep him out until mid-January. The United manager, mindful that he has been accused in the past of "tapping up" players, is understood to have gone through Liège officially, and was shocked to discover that his letter had been released to the Belgian media.
"Dear Steven, I have just heard about your injury and, in the name of Manchester United, I would like to wish you a full and speedy recovery," Ferguson wrote. "I am sure at the moment you must be feeling awful and that you'll have all kinds of questions. Steven, these are natural worries but I have to tell you that modern medicine and treatments are incredible; you have to have confidence in them. Don't worry, everything will work out. You will have to work hard to come back and I am going to follow your performances. I will remain in contact with Standard."
United have confirmed that the letter is genuine but that Ferguson considered it a "private matter". Ferguson likes to keep his transfer targets a closely guarded secret but it is now clear that Defour features prominently in his thinking.
"I don't want to talk about it too much," Defour told the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. "I would like to make it clear that he [Ferguson] followed the official procedure. It's a really nice gesture but I wouldn't want people to get the idea that I think I'm already a Manchester United player. But if they come knocking, then I would not cause problems."
Defour, who is under contract until 2013, made his league debut in Belgium as a 16-year-old and was made Standard's captain when only 19, a year after his full international debut. He was voted the Belgian league's player of the year in 2007, and in 2008 guided Standard to their first title in a quarter of a century as well as being influential as they retained that honour last season. He has also been linked with Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa.
Ferguson will submit his official explanation to the Football Association today for accusing the referee Alan Wiley of not being fit enough to officiate United's 2-2 draw against Sunderland. The United manager has apologised and the FA will have to decide whether he should face a charge of improper conduct.
Wiley, meanwhile, is to be given a short cooling-off period from matches at Old Trafford, with the appointment-makers at the Professional Game Match Officials Limited aware of the pressure he will be under when he next visits United's ground. The selection process takes into account previous controversies. Martin Atkinson, to use one example, has refereed only twice at Old Trafford since Ferguson heavily criticised his performance in United's FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth 19 months ago, resulting in FA charges.
However, there is also a desire within the PGMOL to pledge its support to the 49-year-old official by restoring him to United's matches not too long after the current issue has been resolved.
