Fergie seems to have a reluctance to play Rooney through the middle it seems. Time will tell if he does so.
Real are like a myth. There is a distinct atmosphere around everything with the club. Despite their shortcomings, they are the pinnacle of the beautiful game. United are a huge club but in all honesty its the last 15 years where their European record has started to take shape, this was set in stone by the likes of Real, Milan, Liverpool many years ago.
City will soon start attracting the top players with the stupid money they're throwing around and quite worryingly so as well IMO.
I also think Utd will have made more signings as well, its the quality of them that is concerning. This summer seems to have cemented the superiority of the Spanish game and its more attractive qualities. The top players at Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are being targeted and signed by the Spanish clubs, just at the same time that the economy makes the Premiership less powerful financially.