Fergie Cools Berba Talk

Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed rumours linking Dimitar Berbatov with a move away from Manchester United as 'nonsense'.

Speculation surrounds the future of the Bulgarian striker, joint top-scorer in the Premier League last season with 20 goals, after he fell out of Ferguson's first-team plans towards the end of last term.

Berbatov found himself put in the shade by the manager's preferred strike partnership of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, most notably for the UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona in May, when he did not even make the bench.

French giants Paris St German are thought to be targeting the 30-year-old, who has a year to run on his contract at Old Trafford.

But despite the other striking options at his disposal, with Michael Owen, Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda all waiting in the wings, Ferguson is adamant Berbatov remains in his plans.

"It's nonsense," said Ferguson. "There's absolutely no interest or encouragement from us either."

Ferguson appeared to imply he would sell Berbatov to PSG when quizzed over the Bulgarian by a French reporter following United's friendly against Marseille on Tuesday, but the manager says he misunderstood the question.

He admitted: "I thought she was asking about our chances for the season."

Berbatov is likely partner Rooney up front in the Community Shield against local rivals Manchester City on Sunday in place of Hernandez, who is recovering from concussion.