Ferguson takes swipe at 'lucky' Benitez

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has wasted no time in reigniting his long-running feud with Rafael Benitez by branding the new Chelsea boss "lucky" for having the chance to become a two-time world champion.

The Manchester United manager had a fractious relationship with Benitez during his time at Liverpool. They fell out when the Scot suggested Liverpool would be affected by nerves during the Premier League title run-in. Benitez's response was to deliver a series of "facts". As it turned out, United did win the title and within 12 months, Benitez had gone.

He soon succeeded Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan but Benitez did not last long, even though he won the Italian Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Ferguson said: "Benitez has been trying to get a job for a long time and he is very lucky because on his CV in two weeks' time he could have two world club titles to his name - and had nothing to do with the teams."

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