Ronaldo ... still the man at Manchester United, despite trade talk in the off-season.

ENGLAND HAS rested. The failure of its national team to qualify for Europe 2008 gave many players an unexpected summer sojourn, though a good many of the players involved in Austria and Switzerland arrived attached to Barclays Premier League clubs. Even so, the rest could prove vital in the latest quest for honours.

While the 'Big Four' represent the realistic challenge for the title, others sense the chance to upset the cartel; that a record £300 million has been spent this summer tells its own story. Yet, at Old Trafford, the old adage 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' rings true with Sir Alex Ferguson relying on the men who won the Barclays Premier League and Champions League.

All that could have changed had Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Real Madrid. He admitted openly that he wanted to join the Spaniards but, for now, he remains a Red Devil.

United's closest rivals last season, having lost out on penalties to United in Moscow, have changed their manager and personnel. Out went the luckless Chelsea boss Avram Grant and in came Luiz Felipe Scolari, a Brazilian charged with emulating his World Cup success. 'Big Phil' has made one signing of his own so far, Brazilian-born Portuguese star Deco.

Busy again

Arsenal continue to rely on their kids, though the signing of Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri goes some way to making up for the loss of midfield trio Alex Hleb, Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini. They also held off interest from Real Madrid and Barca for leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor.

At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez has been busy again, signing up almost a team of new players, most notable Spurs' goalscorer Robbie Keane, one to watch this term.

Spurs, though, believe they can break into the top four, and the arrival of Croatian midfielder Luka Modric and England winger David Bentley promises much.

Portsmouth, the FA Cup winners, will be hard to beat again, particularly after re-signing Peter Crouch, an Anfield misfit but proven goalscorer. And at Manchester City, new manager Mark Hughes has acquired Jo, the Brazilian star, for £19 million.

As for the newcomers, it promises a hard slog for Hull and Stoke - the 41st and 42nd teams to play in the Premier League. At least West Bromwich Albion, promoted after a season in the Championship, have the experience to know what it takes to avoid the drop.

Robbie Keane ... has moved from Spurs to Liverpool.

Emmanuel Adebayor ... a key cog on a young Arsenal team