The massed ranks of Red Devils’ fans who embarked on the long trip south this afternoon made their feelings on the matter clear – chanting for the defender to “sign your deal” during the comfortable victory.

However, afterwards the United manager maintained: “We don’t want to make a monster out of this thing (Ferdinand’s deal).

Ferguson said on MUTV: “You can maybe push players into these things and you can make it worse.

“He knows we want him to sign and that’s important and he knows the fans want him to sign, so we don’t want to be shoving the lad into something he is not sure about.

“If he’s not sure then he should take time – but that most important thing is we want him to do it quickly.”

Addicks ‘keeper Stephan Andersen will, meanwhile, certainly not forget his first taste of English top-flight football after he was beaten by Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher before the break, with Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney completing the scoring midway through the second period.

United still need Arsenal – who play relegation battlers West Brom tomorrow - to drop points if they are to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League, but Ferguson insisted his men will not take their foot off the gas in the run-in to the season and next month’s FA Cup final showdown with the Gunners in Cardiff.

He said: “You saw here what we are capable of. We want to take this form into the cup final now.

“We have three games left in the league and we want to perform like that and get the results and look forward to the final, which should be terrific.

“You want to go into the final in form without question. That’s what we need, it was a marvellous performance right from the first minute.”

The United boss added: “This form is crucial not only because of the final, but also because of second place.

“Liverpool and Everton have still got to go to Highbury and they need to get points, so you know fine well that those two will be fighting for their lives against Arsenal.

“It may make it interesting, we don’t know – but one thing we can do is make it interesting.”

For Charlton, it is another case of reflecting on what might have been after a campaign which had promised so much is set to end in mid-table stability, rather than pressing for European qualification via the UEFA Cup.

The Addicks boss again vented his frustrations at some more “chronic” defending, which has been a real thorn in his team’s side over recent weeks.

And immediately after the match, the pressure was certainly getting to the Charlton manager.

Asked whether he would be considering his position, Curbishley told Sky Sports News: “I do feel like that at this moment in time. I am a bit down at the moment, I feel the players have let me down. I expect a bit more from them.

“One or two have been telling me to turn things around and let’s hope we can do it. It’s up to me to turn it around. I have to have a good think about it.

“It’s a harsh life. You take the plaudits and you’ve got to take this on the chin.”

In the post-match press conference, however, the Charlton manager was in more reflective mood as he planned for another season in charge.

“Perhaps there are three or four of them feeling sorry for themselves, but I am not – nor am I feeling sorry for myself,” he said.

“We have got some work to do in the summer.

Asked again about whether he would take time to reflect on his own future at The Valley, the Charlton boss insisted: “No, not really.

“David Moyes finished fourth from bottom last season, and looks like it will be forth from top now, so a new season comes along and you get on with it – and that is what I am going to do.

“We need to make some changes, because we definitely need to do that, and that is what I am focussing on.”

Curbishley, though, made no excuses for fielding his young Danish keeper, who made his first start since a summer switch from AB Copenhagen.

“I felt that obviously he would get a bit of work and I need to have a look,” said the Charlton boss.