Fergie glad Drogba left Chelsea

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

In a summer of discontent that has seen Arsenal striker Robin van Persie decide to forego signing a contract extension, the Mancunian giants have had a relatively stable summer so far. Manchester City have not made any significant forays in the market while United have snapped up Nick Powell and Shinji Kagawa and the message has largely been one of continuity and progression from both sides. 

But the Scotsman is not going to stay quiet until the start of the season and started the war of words with one of his erstwhile rivals by pointing out that Chelsea's Champions League win would not have been possible without their talismanic forward. He revealed to the Daily Star that he is happy his side won't face Drogba's physical threat in the coming season especially as it has always troubled the Red Devils in the past. 

Drogba, who joined Shanghai Shenhua in the aftermath of the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in May, has continually been a thorn in the side for the wily old manager and it was his 29-goal haul in the 2009-10 season that allowed the Blues to pip United to the title by a single point. He also scored the only goal in the 2007 FA Cup final against United deep into extra time helping former manager Jose Mourinho win his final trophy with the club. 

Ferguson said of the mercurial forward: "It is a big boost for us that he's [Drogba] leaving. 

"Drogba won the Champions League against Bayern for Chelsea with that header - only he could have done that."

The west London club have not been idle, however, as Eden Hazard and Marko Marin were procured to beef up their midfield options over the summer. But with only Fernando Torres available as a striking option, it is uncertain if recently-confirmed manager Roberto di Matteo will be able to follow up on his continental exploits with a strong league challenge next season.

The Spanish hitman scored only six goals from 32 games in the preceding term and his tally is just one more than what Drogba achieved in the final reckoning. 

Chelsea are said to be interested in signing Porto's Hulk but negotiations have apparently hit a stumbling block due to the fact that the Portuguese club have stamped an extremely high price-tag on their star player. Reports in Germany also indicate that they have made a tentative enquiry over Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schurrle but they have failed to achieve progress on that front as well.