Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has defended his decision to miss the midweek Carling Cup victory at Scunthorpe in order to spy on their next Champions League opponents, Valencia, and possible transfer target David de Gea.
It was only the third United game he has missed in 24 years.
"It was the right thing to do," he said. "Drawing with Rangers makes the Valencia match far more important than it would have been.
"It was a great opportunity to see Valencia in a really hard match (against Atletico Madrid). I wanted to see my younger players at Scunthorpe, but Mike Phelan has been working with me for 15 years so why shouldn't I trust him?
"I once missed a match against City to go to my son's wedding."
