Sir Alex Ferguson said he would "make a few calls" after being informed of a rule where clubs could agree to play extra time if scores are level in the first game in order to get a result.

The regulation exists purely to aid smaller clubs in the early rounds of the competition who might be facing financially draining trips to complete a tie at the second attempt.

However, with both United and Tottenham struggling with a mass of injuries and facing important Barclays Premier League games on Tuesday, it was suggested they might want to invoke the rule, which would have been the first time it had been used by senior clubs in well over half a century.

Although Ferguson defended the principle of replays and the financial necessity for some clubs to have that carrot, his pay-off line, made partially in jest, has been seized on as further evidence of the club's ambivalence towards a competition they are aiming to win for a record 12th time.

However, Old Trafford officials have been quick to stamp on the argument, releasing a strongly-worded clarification they believe should end the debate.

"Various newspapers have - with differing levels of hysteria - tried to suggest that the club supports invoking Article 11a of the FA Cup regulations in order to avoid having to fulfil replay fixtures," said the statement. "This is totally untrue.

"The club has never asked opponents to play extra time instead of a replay - and has no intention of ever doing so.

"The manager's comments - which do not state that he either wished to or intended to invoke the rule - came after being asked about an article in yesterday morning's paper by the former FIFA referee Graham Poll. He made clear he knows the value of replays to clubs.

"It makes good copy for the newspapers, but for those of us in the real world it is nothing more than an academic discussion.

"Manchester United is proud to have won the FA Cup more times than any other club in history and the only way the club will seek to avoid replays is by winning matches."