English champions Manchester United will find old enemies Arsenal and newly-rich Chelsea blocking their path to another premier league title when the new season opens next week.

United, who face Arsenal in Sunday's Community Shield game in Cardiff on Sunday, will be gunning for a ninth title in 12 seasons in the absence of David Beckham or a high-profile replacement and the departure of another midfielder, Juan Sebastian Veron, to Chelsea.

Manager Alex Ferguson will need to draw again on his sheer personal drive, which put United back in the title race last season after they had slipped to midtable, if they are to retain their crown.

Fortunately, though, he has Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman scored an astonishing 44 goals in all competitions for United last season, hitting 25 in the league as he wrested the Golden Boot award from Arsenal's Thierry Henry.

An absolute stunner last week in their 4-1 tour victory over Juventus in the United States also showed that a break from football has done nothing to dim his goal sense.

In the midfield, Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to fill in for Beckham on the right, while new Cameroon signing Eric Djemba Djemba and the expected arrival of Brazil's Kleberson should compensate for losing Veron.

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