Fergie: United will find new stars

Sir Alex Ferguson insists new heroes will emerge at Manchester United following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

United begin life in the Barclays Premier League without the FIFA world player of the year when they face Birmingham.

There is bound to be some trepidation among supporters as they head into the unknown, if only because it is difficult to see how United will make up for Ronaldo's incredible goals output.

But Ferguson has attempted to calm the anxiety by pointing out a number of occasions when events did not quite turn out the way fans wanted, only for their team to profit as a result.

"The important thing is not to get too upset when a player leaves you," he said.

"This club can produce players all the time and we will go on.

"We almost had Ronaldinho signed in 2003 and two months later we have bought Ronaldo.

"Before that we thought we had Paul Gascoigne but didn't get him and we got Paul Ince and Roy Keane.

"We had a chance to get David Hirst and then Alan Shearer. Instead we got Eric Cantona. It happens that way."

The difference this time is more like 1995 when Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes were allowed to leave during a single summer.

Ferguson's entire tenure was questioned in some quarters, only for the famed 'Class of 92' to emerge and carry the Old Trafford outfit to even greater glory.

And once again, the United boss is looking to players within his own ranks to emerge.

"We are searching to improve ourselves but this time the improvement will come from within," he said.

"We will miss Ronaldo. He was always a threat and his stats were fantastic, he is the best player in the world.

"But he was part of a good team. Everything you set out to do is about the team.

"We won't forget what he did for us but we have players who can make the same impact."

The most obvious examples are £17million new-boy Antonio Valencia and Ronaldo's fellow Portugal international Nani.

Also signed from Sporting Lisbon, Nani enjoyed a decent debut campaign but was poor last term, to the extent that many felt Ronaldo would have company on his way out of Old Trafford.

Ferguson thought otherwise and was vindicated with a performance he felt merited the man-of-the-match award during Sunday's Community Shield defeat to Chelsea.

"Nani seems far more settled," Ferguson said.

"I was surprised when they gave the man of the match to Ricardo Carvalho last Sunday. They obviously weren't watching the game.

"Nani had a terrific game.

"I don't think he was overshadowed by Cristiano. He was very friendly with him and he looked up to him.

"But maybe he sees this as his big opportunity."

To Ferguson's surprise, Nani was able to shrug off the effects of a dislocated shoulder and make a 17-minute appearance for his country against Liechtenstein on Wednesday.

That could be enough to get him into a United side that includes Wes Brown when the Red Devils open their title defence at Old Trafford.

Brown has trained all week after a recent thigh problem so, with Jonny Evans unlikely to play as he nurses an ankle injury aggravated on international duty with Northern Ireland, the England star may line up alongside Rio Ferdinand.

United have opened the last two domestic campaigns with goalless draws against two sides - Reading and Newcastle - who went on to get relegated.

Ferguson would be unhappy if his team suffer a third successive opening-day setback as they chase a fourth successive championship, if only because he expects the title to be a tightly-fought affair.

"You could put a blanket over ourselves, Chelsea and Liverpool," he said.

"What may decide it is if one club gets a run of injuries, or a lot of them at one time.

"We have more experience because of winning the titles but it doesn't make that much difference in terms of the competition we are going to get into.

"To win four in a row would be fantastic. But this is a difficult league to win and rather than look to May I am looking at Sunday."