'The manager brought in five new faces at the start of the season and they need time to adapt, I realise the fans don't want to hear that talk because it is a cop-out to say that is why we have not won the league - fans want results now.'
'It's great to see the gaffer building a young team. He's done it before and hopefully they will become great players at United. But the last thing the fans want to hear when they are coming away from Old Trafford is 'Oh well, it's a transition period'. They want results.'
'The teams that have gone out have been good enough to win matches - it's not as if the gaffer is putting out dummies, we've fielded good teams - it's just that, for whatever reason, we have just not produced.'
On a personal note:
'I'm generally disappointed with the way I have played this season, there is plenty of room for improvement and while I am not 26 anymore, I still fancy my chances against any player in the Premiership on my day. I had a talk with the manager in pre-season, so I knew I wouldn't play in every match this season. But sometimes I have felt the benefit and on other occasions I have not played for two weeks. The problem is, I am the kind of player who likes to keep ticking over. I'm not the sort who will come back after a rest and start doing tricks and things. But I understand where the manager is coming from and I respect his decision when he leaves me out. He is looking at the bigger picture over the next year or two. I don't expect to play in every game but I want to play in the majority.'