• Premier League

Yaya Toure: City will dominate without Fergie around

Yaya Toure believes the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson will restore Manchester City's advantage in the Premier League, suggesting Manchester United's success will decline in the Scot's absence.

Toure, 29, has been declared fit to play for City in Saturday's FA Cup final against Wigan and is confident Ferguson's exit will open up the race for next season's title.

"United are a great club and Ferguson is a big character there," Toure said. "He has built everything at United and the balance, I hope, will go to the City side now.

"We will see next year. There will be a lot of rivalry between Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and United. Tottenham are coming through and the Premier League is going to be very, very tough.

"You look at next season and it will be a good summer for the media in the sense that a lot of clubs have to become better and a lot of clubs are hoping for a better season.

"I have said that anyone who thinks the Premier League is going backwards is making a huge mistake. Next season will be harder than ever.

"Sir Alex has done great things for football and for Manchester United. Fair play to them but we are writing our own history. We can do that on Saturday again."

Despite having second place in the league all but wrapped up and Champions League qualification assured, Toure believes City's season rests on the final at Wembley.

The Ivory Coast international insists his side must make winning trophies a habit after winning the FA Cup and Premier League over the last two seasons.

"Every year is important for the club because we want this to be a big club. We let the Premier League trophy go to United but now we want to win this one," he said. "We must keep winning trophies - that is why I signed a new contract.

"I want to be part of the history of the club. We have already started that - we have already won some trophies. I hope there is going to be more, like the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup."

Toure could hold the key to City's cup hopes having scored the winning goals in the semi-final and final during the 2010-11 competition.

"That one in the final was, for me, the most important strike because we could give silverware to the club and to the fans," he added. "That was the important thing we came here to achieve.

"Winning this cup would be an incredible achievement after everything that has happened. You can look back on the season and say this went wrong or that went wrong. But in the future people will look back at the trophies you have won. The rest won't matter.

"But there are two teams hoping for this and I have a lot of respect for Wigan. It will be far from easy and anyone who saw the game at the Etihad will understand why."

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