Sir Alex Ferguson has shot down speculation linking Manchester United to CSKA Moscow custodian Igor Akinfeev.

Ferguson got to see Akinfeev operate in close proximity when United played CSKA in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, a game his  Red Devils won 1-0 at the Luzhniki Stadium.

The Russian goalkeeper has made a name for himself as one of Europe's premier shot-stoppers over the last 12 months and rumours have been surfacing that United are in hot pursuit of the 23-year-old.

However, Ferguson insisted that if 38-year-old Edwin Van der Sar decided to retire, Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak would take over his place.

"I can't deal with rumour because we have two very good young goalkeepers at the club at the moment in Kuszczak and Foster and the future lies with them," he said.

"When Edwin Van der Sar finally decides to retire I'm quite confident these players can take over."