Fergie: I never called Torres a cheat

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he did not accuse Fernando Torres of being a cheat after Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend. Ferguson was aghast to wake up on Monday morning to find coverage of the game, in which Dimitar Berbatov scored his first hat-trick for the club, was dominated by his remarks about Fernando Torres.The United boss accused Torres of trying to get John O'Shea sent off as he won the foul for the free-kick from which Steven Gerrard equalised.This was interpreted as Ferguson calling the Spain striker 'a cheat' but is a comment the Scot says is not correct."You'd think Berbatov would get the headlines, but it was all me saying Torres was a cheat, which was ridiculous," he said."I thought he made the most of it. That's not to say the guy's a cheat."Ferguson's irritation resulted in him cancelling his usual pre-match press conference and instead deciding only to speak with United's in-house TV station and radio rights holders Key103.Meanwhile, Ferguson admits Michael Owen has given him a dilemma.Owen has been forced to wait for his chance as Dimitar Berbatov has taken centre stage with seven goals so far this season.But on his first start since the Community Shield at Scunthorpe on Wednesday, the legendary predator reminded Ferguson he is still a force to be reckoned with by grabbing a second-half brace.Now Owen is hoping to play some part against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday, the start of a big week that also includes a Champions League trip to Valencia."It does give me a problem," Ferguson told MUTV."I have known it was going to be a problem since the start of the season, that is why I let Danny Welbeck go to Sunderland and Mame Biram Diouf to Blackburn on loan."The form of Dimitar Berbatov has meant that other players have taken a back seat, which is unfortunate for them because they are good players."

Source: Team_Talk