Man United's Ferguson says Chelsea's players too old to mount title challenge

DURBAN, South Africa - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson taunted Luiz Felipe Scolari by claiming his aging Chelsea squad cannot mount a title challenge.

The 66-year-old Scot said he viewed Jose Mourinho as more of a threat after he won titles in 2005 and '06, but United bounced back with back-to-back titles.

United also beat Avram Grant's Chelsea in May's Champions League final, before the Israeli coach was fired after less than a season in charge.

"I'm not concerned about Chelsea," Ferguson told reporters during United's tour of South Africa. "Avram Grant did a good job and Mourinho won the title two years in a row and beat us in the FA Cup final.

"So there's no one who can improve on Mourinho's record really. It would have to go beyond Mourinho's performance to really worry us and that will be a challenge with the players they've got and the players they've added."

Scolari's first signing was the 30-year-old Portugal playmaker Deco from FC Barcelona.

"They are an experienced side. I'm not saying necessarily that they're old because with the modern-day training methods, you should be playing in your 30s," said Ferguson, preparing for his 23rd season in charge. "What I'm saying is that I don't see outstanding progress coming from a team that's in their 30s ... It's hard to see where there's going to be a big improvement with a team that's really very experienced already."