An early Champions League exit to AC Milan has been followed by a slide in league form which has left them outsiders just to nab second spot off Arsenal.

The low point in a month of misery came in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Norwich, which left Ferguson so annoyed he even refused an interview to MUTV.

His anger may have subsided slightly, but he has still labelled the debacle “pathetic” and looked back with regret on a season of under-achievement against opponents United have routinely beaten.

“Saturday’s loss was a terrible one to take, simply because we couldn’t possibly have expected it,” he said.

“Manchester United should be winning those games. But when you look at the season as a whole, we have dropped points to Norwich (3), Portsmouth (3), Fulham (2), Crystal Palace (2) and Blackburn (4), it is not something we are going to accept.

“We have done very well against the top teams, but we expect that, so we are left looking around for reasons why we have lost so many points to teams in the bottom half of the league.”

To say United’s week has not gone to plan would be an understatement.

After the Carrow Road debacle came allegations – since denied – that Wayne Rooney slapped his girlfriend in a nightclub. This was swiftly followed by confirmation Rio Ferdinand had been spotted having a meal with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon before skipper Roy Keane claimed some team-mates were committing the ‘crime’ of giving “less than 100%” to the Red Devils’ cause.

The United camp are so incensed by what the see as the ‘sensationalisation’ of Keane’s comments that Ferguson revealed the Irishman will not speak to the media again.

At least the Ferdinand story brought plans for the defender’s long-term future back into focus and the Press Association understands the England international, his agent Pini Zahavi, United chief executive David Gill and club solicitor Maurice Watkins were involved in serious discussions at the Red Devils’ Carrington training ground this morning, which appeared to have inched the possibility of a new contract slightly closer.

With Ryan Giggs also hoping to tie up an extension next week, there are at least a few positive signs to end a traumatic week, which would only be soothed by keeping hopes of silverware alive by beating Newcastle on Sunday.

Giggs will not be involved despite returning to training this morning following his recent hamstring trouble, but Darren Fletcher, an unexpected star man when United knocked Arsenal out at the same stage of last season’s competition, will travel to Cardiff after recovering from the knee injury which has kept him out for two months.

While the Scottish midfielder may have to be content with a place on the bench, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo will all start after the substitute appearances at Norwich.

Startlingly, Van Nistelrooy has still to find the net since returning from an Achilles injury seven games ago, a run which represents his longest barren spell since joining from PSV Eindhoven.

Yet Ferguson is convinced it is only a matter of time before the man who plundered an amazing 110 goals in his first three seasons at Old Trafford finds his form again and with Newcastle among his most favoured opponents, there could be no better day than Sunday.

“We are all praying for him to score this weekend,” said Ferguson.

“When he got one for Holland a couple of weeks ago, I was sure it would spark him off and it’s disappointing for it not to have happened.

“But he has been terrific in training this week and his desire to score on Sunday will be strong, hopefully he will.”

On paper, Newcastle – tired, downcast and depleted following last night’s UEFA Cup quarter-final exit in Lisbon – are exactly the kind of semi-final opponents a United side lacking confidence would want to encounter.

But Ferguson knows matches between the pair are often unpredictable and cites previous FA Cup semi-finals as evidence knock-out games of this magnitude do not always follow the script.

“We played Oldham twice, once when they were in the old First Division, and were a whisker away from losing both times,” he said. “We were in the same situation against Crystal Palace in 1995 too.

“I doesn’t matter who you play.

“It is about handling the occasion, the atmosphere and the nervousness that can creep in.

“We have had some fantastic semi-finals down the years, matches supporters will never forget. And knowing the history of both clubs, we could have another on Sunday.”