Sir Alex Ferguson has leapt to the defence of record signing Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian's £30.75million transfer fee has been the subject of considerable debate almost since the day he moved north from Tottenham last summer.

And the critics were out in force again following Berbatov's woeful penalty miss in the FA Cup semi-final shoot-out defeat to Everton at Wembley.

Ferguson confirmed the 28-year-old was upset before defending his contribution to the Old Trafford cause. "He will always get criticism because when you pay £30million for a player everyone thinks he should be able to score with a penalty kick,” said Ferguson.

“He was upset and disappointed, as we all were.

“But I don't see any evidence of Berbatov's season tailing off.

“He has missed a few games and overall, I thought he did really well.”