Fergie forced to shuffle pack

Stuart Brennan

August 01, 2007

KEY DUO: Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping his star men stay clear of injury

MANCHESTER United fans eager to see the club's three exciting new signings will have to be patient as none of them is likely to appear in tonight's Old Trafford friendly against Inter Milan.

Portuguese winger Nani, who whetted a few appetites with a couple of impressive goals during the Far East tour, was the only one of the trio who was expected to be fit to face the Italian champions.

But he picked up an ankle injury in training on Monday and is now doubtful for the game, the first pre-season match at Old Trafford and the start of a hectic few days in which the Reds send teams to Doncaster on Friday, Peterborough on Saturday and then to Wembley to face Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson says he will reveal his hand for the traditional season-opening showdown with United's closest Premier League rivals by starting with his strongest available XI against Inter tonight.

The Reds are already without key midfielder Paul Scholes, recovering from a minor operation following a knee injury which forced him to fly home early from Korea last month.

Owen Hargreaves began training on Monday after suffering with tendonitis in his knee, a problem which forced him out of the entire pre-season tour and, if he continues to make progress he is pencilled in for a first appearance in a United shirt at Peterborough on Saturday.

Brazilian starlet Anderson was another tour absentee after playing for his country in the Copa America and he also reported back for training on Monday.

He is another in the reckoning for a run-out at either Doncaster or Peterborough.

Regular stars Gary Neville (ankle), Louis Saha (knee) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (knee) are all roughly two weeks away from a return and will take no part in pre-season matches.

Extra

Ferguson revealed that he was now champing at the bit for the new season to start, and that games like tomorrow night's friendly and the Community Shield were only useful in terms of preparation.

"Tonight's game is the right type of match," said the United boss.

"We went on the tour of the Far East and got out of it what we needed in terms of minutes on the clock and some good performances.

"But tonight's game is at a more competitive level. Inter are in the Champions League with us and that adds a bit extra to the game - and there should be a decent crowd.

"Playing in the Far East is a different type of game, slower because of the humidity. This game is back on our terms, in the usual conditions in which we play football.

"Inter are just a bit ahead of us in terms of competitive games after playing Arsenal and Valencia at the weekend."

Ferguson has pulled together a 23-man squad for the four games but has yet to decide how he will split them for the fixtures which will open Doncaster's new stadium on Friday and the clash with his son Darren's Peterborough team the following day.

"We have had a four-day break since our last game, with two days of rest and two days of training, so the players are all ready for a game tonight," said the manager.

"I aim to play one team tomorrow as long as I can, to get as much on the clock as possible.

"That will put it to bed for the team I will play on Sunday, and then on Friday and Saturday I will have to juggle the balls a bit.

"I have 23 players available including Hargreaves and Nani and therefore I want to represent the occasion for Doncaster opening their new stadium and I want to make sure I send a good representative team to Peterborough."

How do you think United are shaping up for the new season? Have your say.

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Birdy, Ireland (01/08/2007 at 09:08)

With so many injuries we'd have been shaping up a lot better with Rossi in the squad

bobdazzle, Manchester (01/08/2007 at 09:29)

Brown, Simpson or Bardsley to cover for Nev. Should still have strong defence.
Fletch and JOS to get game time. Give KITKAT a game to ready him for action later when called. It is only a friendly.

bobdazzle, Manchester (01/08/2007 at 09:29)

Brown, Simpson or Bardsley to cover for Nev. Should still have strong defence.
Fletch and JOS to get game time. Give KITKAT a game to ready him for action later when called. It is only a friendly.

khaled mahmood, bangladesh (01/08/2007 at 10:02)

Grow up Birdy, you big baby. Sir Alex though Rossi wasn't good enough and he knows more than you. United let lots of young players go, some decent ones too. But as long as your getting better players in, that all you can hope for. Tevez is a million times better than rossi, full stop. So put your dummy back in, get your diaper changed,ask your mummy to put your toys back in your pram and get down to the family stand to watch us against Inter Milan

bobbydazzler (01/08/2007 at 10:34)

bobbydazzle, look up the records of the last few seasons when the godson and jos have played at the same time. it will make you cry in your beer. carrying one player is difficult carrying 2 is stupid. jos CANT PLAY IN MIDFIELD df is not good enough for us

dboy, eire (01/08/2007 at 11:10)

Khaled, don't be so harsh on Birdy, whom has made a valid point re Rossi & injuries and is entitled to their opinion. God knows if you didn't air your opinion on this forum thre would be nothing to laugh at....

Birdy, Ireland (01/08/2007 at 11:52)

Yeah Khaled leave me alone and go tend to your goat. Tevez isnt a Utd player yet. There's a saying about not counting your chickens before they hatch, there's surely a similar one in Bangladesh about not counting your goats or something. As it stands we're going into the new season with 1 fit striker on our books

chris, oxford (01/08/2007 at 12:10)

With you there Birdy, Tevez is not a done deal and the way things are going anything could happen.

chris, oxford (01/08/2007 at 12:10)

Please dont mention those two bobby, im depressed enough as it is after the Rossi news!

Mick, Dublin (01/08/2007 at 12:26)

Teves IS a done deal. There's no way that SAF would let Rossi and Smith leave in the same week if he didn't know, for certain, that Tevez was on his way.

You have to remember that the Hammer's posturing is a charade. They are fighting their corner because the EPL insisted they should do this if they are ever challenged. That the main condition that the EPL put in place before allowing them to play Tevez until the end of the season.

What MUFC and WHU are saying publically is probably very different to what's negotiated behind the scenes. They MUST have agreed a resolution which means Tevex will be a United player at the start of the season, I'm certain of it.

Drew Skaners, Macc (01/08/2007 at 12:30)

Happy to let Smith go, but not Rossi. Much prefer to see him play with Roo than Saha.

Feel we have messed that one up somehow, and with the Tevez affair becoming a little bit of a nightmare, looks like we could be light upfront.

Hope Taggart is cracking up on a missed opportunity!!!

Drew Skaners, Macc (01/08/2007 at 12:30)

khaled mahmood, bangladesh (01/08/2007 at 12:41)

Actually Birdy, the saying is "Never buy a bucket till you see the goats nipples". My uncle went against this sound advise once, buying an expensive real plastic bucket, only to find out the "excellent milker" he had just bought was in fact a castrated male goat, with a bladder infection. The real tradgedy in all this is Saha. If he actually played football like he's supposed to we would 3 great strikers in Saha, Rooney and (probably) Tevez. With the odd game for Nani, Ronnie and Ole, Rossi wouldn't play and nobody would bother if we offloaded him. Saha is a liability. It makes it very hard to plan what players you need when you have no idea how many games such a talented player will play.

Balders, Tier 2 Stretford (01/08/2007 at 12:52)

C'MON GUYS it's our pre-season too ...... so we have to prepare ourselves properly, hence........ One of Fletcheradonna or JoS (god forbid it'll ever be both together) will play a lot of games this season in CM !!
We know, they know it, SAF knows it !!

JonyB-), North Staffs (01/08/2007 at 12:59)

Its his Fergies idea of giving the rest a chance.... Keep playing the worse too midfielders and sell the best striking future star and keep the old french crock, the former knackered legend ad rely on the championship level Dong!! Is fergie a relation to God??? 'Cus at times he really does move in bl#*dy mysterious ways!!

Duncan, London (01/08/2007 at 13:04)

Look Rossi never played for us last season and we won the premiership nice as it would be to see Rossi develop this season. We have added three extra players since then and just lost KR from our available squad last season. On top of this we may be getting Tevez as well which would be brilliant.

I would also add that scoring goals in Serie A is not necessarily a recipe for success in the premiership as people seem to be implying as Shevchenko, Crespo and Martins have shown.

ged (01/08/2007 at 13:06)

It would now appear West ham want Smith, now this is interesting, as west ham could lose 50 mill if relegated we could do a compromise, give smith to west ham, they give us say 25 mill plus tevez thrown in and all problems solved.

Jack Thorley, Trafford (01/08/2007 at 13:36)

The two games against Doncaster and Peterboro were sold out weeks ago,their fans will need to remember to take pens with them to the match so that they can cross out all the 11 United players that are listed and and write in the replacements names.They can then look at each other and say "Who's he?" as will the United fans when they check out the 7 replacements in the Inter Milan team tonight.But who cares its all more money in Malcs pot.

Mick, Dublin (01/08/2007 at 13:58)

Well done, Khaled, I was feeling a bit down in the dumps about Rossi leaving but your goat stories (as usual) never fail to crack me up!

JonyB-), North Staffs (01/08/2007 at 14:11)

Reported on tribal football today;
"Manchester United may trump Manchester City for Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.
After Juve president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli admitted last night that they had rejected a bid from City for the Italy U21 captain, it's emerged Chiellini could be used in talks with United over Gaby Heinze."
May be a sound bit of buiseness if Silvestre going as well as Heinze and would be gud to see Bitters tears again!!

Mick, Dublin (01/08/2007 at 14:22)

Thanks JonyB. Now that is something else to cheer me up!

Heinze to Juve (upsetting the dippers) with Chiellini coming the other way (upsetting the bitters) and, as the final coup-de-grace, flogging Silvestre to City - to spread chaos in their back four - would be an exceedingly good bit of business.

Mind you, when did tribalfootball ever get transfer news right?

JonyB-), North Staffs (01/08/2007 at 14:40)

Well tribal footbal may never be accurate..... But they know how to make us smile!!!!

JonyB-), North Staffs (01/08/2007 at 16:38)

And now Footbal365.com reporting from italian sources.....
"Manchester United could use Gabriel Heinze as bait to buy Giorgio Chiellini, according to reports in Italy. Corriere dello Sport claim that Ferguson is a big fan of the left-sided Italian Under-21 captain, while Juventus are acknowledged admirers of Heinze."
Eermmm, interesting.....

bobbyc, tameside (01/08/2007 at 21:25)

No doubt bitter Jack Thorley wont struggle at Wastelands when the teams are announced at citys first game .It will certainly be a case of "whos he",as if hes honest, had he really heard of any of citys massive signings?

bobbyc, tameside (01/08/2007 at 21:35)

73,000+ At last nights friendly with Inter,and no doubt according to Mr Banana himself, Mike,not one would have come from Manchester,and he was probably outside OT asking fans what their postcode was.

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