It may be the words Manchester City fans have been longing to hear, or it may be the wily old maestro playing some smart cards again.
Either way, The Sun has quoted Sir Alex Fergusson as admitting: Manchester City are the new thorn in my side.
The Manchester United boss has had to fight off the challenge of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in his 25 years at the helm.
Now he sees City as the big threat to United's rule.
And Ferguson said: "One of that three has emerged really in the last couple of years.
"Not so long ago they were in the second division and never a thorn in our flesh. Whereas every year we have had to contend with Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.
"Nothing changes, one of them will always be a thorn in our flesh you cannot change history."
However, Ferguson’s main aim is still to knock Barcelona off their perch.
In another report in The Sun, he believes his young players are ready to take up the challenge.
The Theatre of Dreams chief said: "I've got young players coming in that I hope will take inspiration from what we experienced in the Champions League final and challenge Barcelona.
"We tried to win it our way but were outplayed. They are an exceptionally good team.
"We will try to move on and get above them. We're definitely going the right way in terms of having a really good squad of young players."