By Matthew Jones
July 31 2002

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has warned Premiership favourites Manchester United that the Magpies will be in the hunt this year. Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has warned Premiership favourites Manchester United that the Magpies will be in the hunt this year.

Magpies boss Sir Bobby Robson publicly played down his team's title chances earlier this month.

But his chairman clearly feels that the black and whites can improve on last year's fourth spot - and warned the Old Trafford giants to expect one of the closest fights for years.

"The championship is still up for grabs," said Shepherd. "It will be a mad scramble for honours."

And the Magpies chief rejected the suggestion that Manchester United's £33.1m capture of Rio Ferdinand means Sir Alex Ferguson's men will have the league title sewn up.

"One man doesn't make a team and no, I don't think it means the title is definitely set for Old Trafford," he said. "Juan Sebastian Veron came in for £28.1m last year and was supposed to guarantee them the title, but they ended up finishing third.

"There is not a club in Europe who would not want Ferdinand and we're all envious.

"But we've gone for a young man in Titus Bramble who Sir Bobby Robson believes can develop quickly into an England centre-back.

"We're deliberately buying the best of the young talent to consolidate this club for the next five or six years."