Sir Alex Ferguson has bristled at suggestions from Arsene Wenger that Manchester United lack stamina, branding the Frenchman's reputed comments as 'petty'.
Following Arsenal's late 2-1 win over United on Sunday, Gunners midfielder Mathieu Flamini claimed that Wenger had told his troops that their great rivals would tire in the final stages.
The implicit indication that his team cannot last the course has angered Ferguson, and the Scot has now reignited a war of words with Wenger which has largely lain dormant since the arrival of Jose Mourinho in England.
The United boss has accused his Arsenal rival of being 'petty', and making the comments in order to inflate his own sense of self-worth.
"In the game against Arsenal, (was it) a lack of concentration? 'Yes'," said Ferguson.
"From a winning position, we were all gutted. It was disappointing, but in terms of the stamina side of it, it's absolute nonsense.
"I thought it was a bit petty, coming out with that nonsense.
"There's absolutely no evidence. In terms of endurance and that kind of thing, we are well in control of that.
"I'm not sure [why he said it]. I think it's maybe making him look great again. 'I'm the great Arsene Wenger'.
"If they'd lost the game 1-0, what could he have said? Which they should have done."
However, Wenger has strongly denied questioning United's stamina, instead insisting that he merely told his players to remember how Emmanuel Adebayor scored late on in the 1-0 win at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
"I did not say they crumble in the last 20 minutes," said Wenger.
"At half-time [last Sunday] it was still 0-0. I said: 'Continue to play until the last minute because remember at Old Trafford, we scored in the last five minutes'.
"Of course, after there was a big analysis that they concede more goals in the last 20 minutes - but most of the time, that is because they lead and teams have a go at them.
"Manchester United are top of the league - and if they are top of the league, that means they do not collapse."
