Rafael Bentiez has shrugged off criticism from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The United boss is said to have been negative towards the former Liverpool supremo during an interview in Italy and has claimed that the pair are not particularly close.

"I am not in football looking for friends, I want to win trophies," Benitez told Sky Sports News.

"If the big rival of Liverpool Football Club is just thinking about me months after [leaving] that is quite positive. It means we were doing something well.

"I was going to the [Champions League] final in Paris - Barcelona vs. Arsenal - we were together in the bar and it was quite interesting because we were friends, but when we were close to them we were not friends."

Benitez is out of football after he was sacked as Inter Milan manager in December last year.