Gus Poyet has stated his determination to stay as assistant to Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos, in the face of speculation touting him as a potential replacement for Carlos Queiroz at United. Queiroz was Ferguson's right-hand man but has left to manage Portugal.

"It's nothing. It was a surprise to read it. I want to stay at Spurs, I want to stay with this manager, this group of players and this club because I'm very happy," said the highly rated Poyet. "When you are in England and you are lucky enough to be with one of the big teams, you are always going to get speculation. It happens. That's football. I've been around long enough to ignore it."

Poyet, 40, has only been coaching in England since July 2006, when he became assistant to Dennis Wise at Swindon Town. He followed Wise, his former Chelsea team-mate, to Leeds United in October 2006, where, after relegation from the Championship, the pair guided the team to a great start to the following season. Leeds won their opening seven in a 13-match unbeaten run, which ended in the first game after Poyet's departure to Tottenham.