Ince tells his wantaway stars - I am the Guv'nor and you're staying put

Paul Ince braced himself for a battle of wills with David Bentley yesterday and warned Blackburn's unsettled midfielder there can be only one winner.

The former Manchester United skipper always revelled in his self-appointed Guv'nor role at Old Trafford and clearly intends stamping his mark on management in the same way.

I¿m No 1: ambitious Paul Ince arrives at Ewood Park where he has been quick to assert his authority

Unveiled as Mark Hughes' successor at Ewood Park, Ince wasted no time asserting his authority as he fired a blunt warning to Bentley - who wants to join a Champions League club just 12 months after signing a new four-year deal - and striker Roque Santa Cruz, a target for Manchester United and Manchester City.

'I don't see a problem keeping these two lads because they both signed a contract here,' he said. 'It is important to keep your best players and Santa Cruz and Bentley fall into that category.

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'There is interest from other clubs but I have no intention of letting any of our best players leave. I had a nice text off Sir Alex Ferguson congratulating me on the job but if he were to come on to me about Santa Cruz, the answer would be: "You're not having him".

'There can be difficulties when players make it clear they want out but if these lads are told they have to stay then that's the end of it.

'It's not just those two. It applies to any of them. If they want to go, but I say "no" then they knuckle down and help this club progress to where we want to take it.'

As revealed in Sportsmail yesterday, Blackburn have rejected a £15million bid from Aston Villa for Bentley in a stance that echoes Ferguson's determination to prevent Real Madrid prising Cristiano Ronaldo away.

Ince knows where his sympathies lie there, even though there were suggestions at the time that the ex-England midfielder may have engineered his £7.5million move to Inter Milan 13 years ago.

'It's not really the same because I didn't actually want to leave United,' he said. 'I would have been more than happy to stay but they decided to sell me because they had Nicky Butt coming through and they needed funds for the new training ground at Carrington.

'Ronaldo wants to go and it is sad. Fergie has been fantastic for his career and made him the player he is today. From being a great story for United, of finishing last season as champions of England and Europe, it has soured things a bit and that is a shame.

'I learned from Fergie as well as other top managers I played for. It's all about standards with him, from the character of the players he picks to the choice of the people around him. There is an aura about him and it is no coincidence so many of his former players have gone on to manage at a high level.

'I'm not kidding myself, though. When United come here in October everything we went through together will disappear out of the window. We'll have a glass of wine at the end but while I'm in that other dug-out he'll be gunning for me. I'm the enemy now.'

Ince vowed to repay Blackburn for buying him time to acquire the necessary coaching badges for managing in the Barclays Premier League but admitted he has other targets beyond establishing European football at Ewood Park.

'Everyone here pushed the boat out to ensure I got special dispensation over the qualifications so I could take up this challenge,' he said.

'I really appreciate that and fully intend not only completing the course over the next couple of years but showing this club they made the right choice.

'We've got two years or so to get it all done and it will be. In many ways it's about what you have to offer as an individual every bit as much as the certificates you've got.

'Players at this level shouldn't need much coaching. It's a case of getting them going and motivating them and I'm confident I can do that. If I couldn't get the best out of players I wouldn't have kept Macclesfield in the Football League and then taken MK Dons to Wembley and promotion.

'Once I have finished in the Premier League I would love an opportunity to go back to Inter Milan and take charge there.

'After that, if an opening with England cropped up it would round things off brilliantly. I have captained my country so why not? It's a long way down the line but it would be a fantastic honour.'.