Fergie was 'expressing relief'

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has denied making offensive gestures to Reading fans, claiming he was merely celebrating a hard-fought victory at the Madejski Stadium.

The Scot was seen on television pictures appearing to respond to taunts by home supporters but he said he was just concentrating on the 2-0 win which kept his side top of the Barclays Premier League.

"All I was doing was expressing my relief at winning what was one of our hardest games of the season," the United boss told the Daily Mirror.

Ferguson also defended the club's trip to the Middle East to play in a testimonial for former Saudi Arabia international Sami Al-Jaber on Monday night, a game which will net United a reported £1million.

"The one thing I am sure about is that this trip won't do us any harm," he told The Guardian.

"We're back on Thursday and that gives us three days to prepare for Tottenham (in the FA Cup on Sunday)."