Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Wes Brown's decision to
follow his agent's advice and refuse a new contract from Manchester
United has left him feeling depressed about the state of the modern
game.
Despite admitting he is enjoying one of his best seasons at his
one and only club as he continues to fill in for injured club
captain Gary Neville, Brown is set to leave Old Trafford on a free
transfer this summer after failing to agree a new deal with the
Barclays Premier League champions.
The 28-year-old England right back has been offered a deal in
the region of £50,000-a-week but he has decided to turn it down
because he feels it compares poorly to some of his team-mates who
earn double that amount.
Ferguson said: 'No, there is no movement at all. It's in his
hands. It's not in our hands.
'We have given him his offer. It's amazing really, given that he
has had such a good season and has had such a good run of games
while Gary has been injured.
'We wouldn't have made the offer if we hadn't had faith in
him.
'But players of today live in their agents' pockets. It's a
situation which depresses me at times, it really depresses me.
'Wes has been with us since he was 12 years old but I don't
think that matters these days.
'Their agents live their lives for them and if you are happy to
go along with that then you'll get the situation that you've got
here just now.'
Brown's agent, Paul Martin, has been in talks with United's
chief executive David Gill since last summer but negotiations have
hit a firm impasse. The Brown camp were on Thursday suggesting the
situation was unlikely to change unless the club improved their
offer.
Ferguson has been critical of Martin and his influence over
Brown previously but the manager even suggested this time that the
player's team-mates had told him to sign.
'Wes knows what the situation is and knows what he should do,'
added Ferguson. 'And even the other players have told him.'
Brown made his 30th start of the season against Lyon in the
Champions League on Wednesday and has admitted that he is enjoying
his season.
Newcastle United were keen to sign him before manager Sam
Allardyce was sacked and the defender will not be short of offers
if he decides to leave Old Trafford.
Brown said this week: 'It is good to be playing week in, week
out and hopefully I can keep this going. You get a routine going.
You know what you're doing and know your position. In the past I've
been in and out of the team after picking up little niggles here
and there. This season, with the skipper being out, I've filled in
and am doing ok.
'In past seasons I've been played at centre half and right back
and sometimes it is difficult when you are switching week in, week
out. But I've been right back all season and this has really helped
me.
'I've been here 10 years since my debut so I know what Gary
Neville is capable of and what he has achieved for the club. To
fill in for him all season has been perfect for me.' Brown will be
part of the United team who play Newcastle at St James' Park on
Saturday as the season begins to approach its conclusion at home
and in Europe.
Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Lyon has left United well placed in the
last 16 of the Champions League and Brown's defensive colleague Rio
Ferdinand feels Ferguson's team may peak at the right time in this
campaign.
Ferdinand said: 'I think first and foremost you have to get
results. In Europe particularly, performances come second. I
thought we played well against Lyon in parts.
'After the break the team performed quite well for about 10-15
minutes until Lyon scored. Then we upped the tempo again, they sat
back and we managed to get the goal from Carlos Tevez.
'Away from home, performances come a long way second. 'At this
stage, we need to concentrate on the results. We have an away goal
from the Lyon game and that's good.'
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