In congratulating new Premier League champion Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson reminded it that it has a long way to go before it can be considered Manchester United's equal.

Ferguson grudgingly acknowledged City had legitimate cause for celebration, but he insisted the blue half of Manchester still had plenty to do before it could rival United's history.

"They can go on as much as they like - that's what you would expect - but the history of our club stands us aside," Ferguson said. "We don't need to worry about that. I think we have a rich history, better than anyone and it'll take them a century to get to our level of history."

Even at 70, Ferguson is determined to be the man who tries to halt City's attempt to repeat its success next season.

"We accept challenges. We are good at that," said Ferguson after a 1-0 win at Sunderland on Sunday did not prove enough to claim top spot.

But he was gracious in his praise of City's achievement, saying: "On behalf of Manchester United, I would like to say congratulations to our neighbors.

"It's a fantastic achievement. This is not an easy league. It's the hardest league in the world, and anybody that wins it deserves it.

"At the start of the season, if I remember correctly, I said 82 points would probably win the league this season and we are seven points ahead of that. But look, it doesn't matter, we've lost the league.

"It is a cruel way to have the title ripped away, but I've had a lot of ups and downs in my 25 years here.

"There will be times when we can sit back and say we did this wrong, we did that wrong, but 89 points would have won the league most seasons."