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SIR ALEX READY FOR THE CHALLENGE

Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected Jose Mourinho’s comments that the race for the title had swung in favour of the London club.

The Reds now sit six points clear of their nearest rivals after a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

"Jose can make his comments and predictions," Ferguson told MUTV. "Why should I worry about what he is saying? We have all the answers, we are doing it on the pitch. All I know is our form has been terrific and we were a better team than Chelsea last week."

Although Ferguson's squad could be regarded as weaker compared with the riches Mourinho has at his disposal, the Scot has started to address the problem by announcing the arrival of Henrik Larsson on a short-term loan from January 1.

Ferguson is confident his team will still be top when the Swede arrives.

"I hear all this nonsense about who is going to be top.On January 1, we will all know where we stand in terms of winning the league. The spirit in the place is fantastic. We are playing great football and we are defending better than we have in my entire time at this club.

"We will still be at the top when Henrik comes , don't worry about that."