Alex Ferguson has warned West Ham boss Alan Curbishley not to expect any gifts at Old Trafford on the last day of this season.
Curbishley visited Manchester United on the final day 12 months ago when was in charge of Charlton.
On that occasion, Ferguson presented him with a pair of return tickets to New Zealand so he could visit his sister after deciding to take a sabbatical from the management game.
He could do with an even bigger present this time around as West Ham look for the point that will preserve their top-flight future.
Curbishley knows that, if his side lose, he will be left sweating on the outcome of Sheffield United's key fixture with Wigan at Bramall Lane before he knows whether he will accompany Charlton down into the Coca-Cola Championship.
And Curbishley is now aware he will face a United side packed with stars after Ferguson rested nearly all the big names responsible for this season's Barclays Premiership title triumph from last night's goalless draw at Chelsea.
Ferguson said: 'We have to respect the position of the other teams at the bottom.
'Paul Jewell has done a fantastic job at Wigan, as has Neil Warnock at Sheffield United.
'I cannot be putting a team on the pitch that disrespects those teams.
'We also have our own reputation to think about, so although I am a great friend of Alan Curbishley, he understands the position I am in and knows I will be playing my strongest team on Sunday.
'Ferguson was proud of his unheralded youngsters, who gave a battling performance against a far more experienced Chelsea outfit, clinging on for a point as their hosts finished strongly.
'The United boss singled out Chris Eagles for special praise and also hailed the contribution of Kieran Lee, who was likewise making his Premiership debut.'
However, he was less than complimentary about one-time United target Mikel Jon Obi, who was signed by Chelsea from the Red Devils for £12million at the start of the season, ending a protracted transfer wrangle which cost the Nigerian a year out of his career.
In a feisty game that produced seven bookings, Ferguson felt the midfielder should have had a red for a nasty first-half challenge on Eagles.
He told reporters: 'It was a very competitive game which got a bit out of hand in the first half.
'Mikel was lucky to be on the pitch because it was a bad tackle.
'It was a hard game to handle for the referee but it showed the level of competition between the two teams.'
