Fergie fury at agent's grip on Wes

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.'