MANCHESTER UNITED BOSS Sir Alex Ferguson has attacked Twitter and said it is a “waste of time” as he responded to the controversy surrounding some of his players’ use of the micro blogging website.

Striker Wayne Rooney found himself in hot water this week after threatening to put a fellow Tweeter to sleep if he turned up at United’s training ground, later dismissing his comments as a “bit of banter”.

Rooney has also used the site to have a go at CNN presenter and former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan and taunt Liverpool fans after securing United’s record 19th league title, in a highly unusual way.

But Fergie is not impressed, reports the Guardian, with the Manchester United manager saying today:

I don’t understand it, to be honest with you. I don’t know why anybody can be bothered with that kind of stuff.

How do you find the time to do that? There are a million things you can do in your life without that.

Get yourself down to the library and read a book. Seriously. It is a waste of time. It seems to have a certain momentum at the moment.

Everyone seems to want to do it.

Ferguson added that the club were looking at their policy towards Twitter in light of the controversy that has engulfed not only Rooney but midfielder Darron Gibson.

The Republic of Ireland international quit the site last month just two hours after registering after being sent a string of abusive messages.

The club’s senior defender Rio Ferdinand has told his Twitter followers, among them Lord Alan Sugar, that United players haven’t yet been banned from Twitter although it looks as if the matter is under consideration: