SIR Alex Ferguson is glad to have the distraction of international football out of the way so his side can focus on clawing back Chelsea's five-point advantage.

The Reds boss is entitled to raise an eyebrow over the furore surrounding the Republic of Ireland's World Cup exit, when his own side also suffered a controversial refereeing decision at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Referee Martin Atkinson's failure to spot Didier Drogba hauling down Wes Brown as John Terry nodded home a late winner has seemingly given Chelsea the whip hand in the chase for the title.

But Ferguson is still relaxed about his team having plenty of time to catch Carlo Ancelotti's men - and is relieved that the international season is now over, bar one midweek match at the beginning of March.

"Probably the league will start now," said the United boss, whose side face Everton at home on Saturday.

"You will get some sort of consistency and we won't be worrying about which players are coming back from international duty, where they have been and arranging flights for them to come back in time.

"We have got them now right through until March. We are delighted with that."

As usual, Ferguson has injury problems picked up during international fixtures to contend with.

John O'Shea's thigh injury seems certain to rule him out, while Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans have niggling ankle and calf knocks to get over before they can be considered to face David Moyes' side.

Rio Ferdinand will also be missing for another two or three weeks after United confirmed his niggling calf injury stems from a lower back problem.

On the plus side, Nemanja Vidic and Park Ji-sung both featured in the midweek international between Serbia and South Korea after recent injuries and should be available as United begin the task of hauling Chelsea back.

"Five points is not insurmountable, that has been shown time and time again in the Premier League," said Ferguson.

"You can come from behind and you can be in front and lose it, as we did in 1997.

"It is a challenge. But I always think if you get to New Year's Day a point in front or behind, with our experience in big game situations over the run-in, we have a great chance."

On the face of it, Ferguson could not have picked a better fixture for his side to come back to.

Everton have not won at Old Trafford since 1992, since when they have managed just a couple of draws amid the mass of defeats.

Yet the Toffeemen often make life difficult for their north-west rivals and it took a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to give them victory in a tightly-fought affair last term.

But with the current situation leaving little room for manoeuvre, United cannot afford any slip-ups, even if Ferguson is expecting the usually difficult battle with Moyes' men.

"Everton have had a tremendous run of injuries and David Moyes is facing much the same situation as myself at the moment," added Ferguson.

"You can understand how difficult it is to win games when you don't have your best team out.

"Once they get their full squad back they will soon come up the table again.

"Even so, they are still very powerful opponents. They are a determined side and we will need to perform."