Evra remains defiant

Manchester United skipper Patrice Evra says relinquishing their Premier League title to Manchester City won’t be the “end of an empire”.

Despite the 2–0 win over Swansea, relegation–threatened QPR must avoid defeat against City on Sunday to give United hope of retaining the crown.

But Evra is not convinced a major overhaul is required: "I know that if we don't win the league then a lot of people will say this is the end of the empire. But there is a lot of talent at this club.

"We've had to deal with a lot through injuries and losing experienced players last summer and it's never easy to find a solution immediately."

When United's poor performances are taken into consideration, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that significant reinforcement is required.

Dimitar Berbatov's late cameo against Swansea appeared to be a farewell gesture from Sir Alex Ferguson and the Bulgarian looks set to head a list of departures that may also include Anderson, Federico Macheda and Michael Owen.