If there is one thing that has been bothering Sir Alex Fergusson these days, it is that of injury to key players at a stage where a complete roster is essential. The Reds are now at the semi-finals of the FA cup but with the plague of injuries to key players such as Louis Saha and John O’Shea who are down with separate injuries.

Saha is recuperating from a hamstring strain injury and may be a doubtful starter on their Tuesday game against Sheffield United at Old Trafford. O’Shea on the other hand suffered a calf injury in their last game against Roma.

“John didn’t train on Friday,” confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson at his pre-match press conference. “But hopefully he will be OK for Saturday. Patrice Evra came in at right-back on Tuesday and did very well.”

If it is any consolation, Paul Shoes will be back from serving a suspension and will be able to play. But Fergusson is weary that at this stage of the tournament, adjustments to the winning ways of the Reds may prove to be costly for where they have accomplished by this time.

“My other decision is that Paul Scholes is back from suspension. Changing a winning team is very difficult after the way they performed against Roma. But Paul’s experience could be important in a semi-final.”

Another doubtful player is that of Gary Neville who will still be out for another week. While he was reportedly going to be ready by the time they face Sheffield, Fergusson doubts the healing time and would rather not risk aggravating injuries of his player’s careers. Call it a spade of bad luck!

[tags]john o’shea, louis saha, united reds, alex fergusson, uefa, soccer, roma, old trafford, sheffield[/tags]

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Nemanja Vidic, Crisiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ji-sung Park and Dong Fangshuo have returned to their respective native grounds in preparation for the Euro-2008 qualifiers slated to start this March 24, 2007. Representing their mother clubs and national teams is something that the star-studded Reds cast will have to offer in seeing their players lead their respective teams for this prestigious event.

While such big names have cropped up from the long list of United Reds players, there are also a lot of names absent. Most of them will not be suiting up due to injuries that they are taking care of. Among the names that will not be seen in the Euro qualifiers include the likes of Gary Neville, Darren Fletcher, Mikael Silvestre and Louis Saha.

Each of these players are recuperating and nursing various injuries but the competition is still expected to produce the quality plays that the United Reds players offer in its regular season of play.

[tags]manchester united, football, soccer, european league, euro[/tags]

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After more than a year of being sidelined due to a broken leg and a dislocated ankle, the United Red’s striker Alan Smith has officially returned to active duty and made his first start for the Red’s lineup in Old Trafford at the FA Cup. Smith played a pivotal role in helping the Reds take a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough, making a good account for him in the 70-minute performance that he was gave. It also marked his first start at Old Trafford since 2005 and what a way to come back in style.

Smith readily acknowledged that it was not easy to take the field once more after such a long layoff. Fortunately, he made a good account for himself and is happy to be back but is still working his way back to the Alan Smith of old. In the midst of it all is the continued support of Sir Alex Fergusson who has been giving him all the support he needs to be able to get back to form. Given a few more games, Smith is expected to be a big help to the United Reds club.

[tags]alan smith, reds, united manchester, players, injuries[/tags]

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Edwin van der Sar will continue to watch the game from the sidelines in United Reds next game with Bolton at Old Trafford on Saturday. Van Der Sar suffered a calf strain during their warm-up prior to their FA Cup game at Middlesbrough. The Dutchman has been advised to rest the injury to avoid aggravating it.

There was no need for any medical treatment on Edwin’s injury and all that is needed was rest on the strained calf of United’s goalkeeper. Tomas Kuszczak has been holding the fort until Van Der Sar is given the green light to report back to active duty and help the cause of his team.

Things couldn’t have come at a worse time but Edwin believes that the team still has a chance of making it to the semis. But watching from the sidelines helplessly is the only thing he can do for now until his injury fully heals.

[tags]van der sar, united reds, injuries, players[/tags]

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Despite a badly depleted lineup, Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that his team can make it beyond the quarterfinals. United reached the quarterfinals by getting past Lille 2-0. This will be the first time that the team have reached the quarterfinals in four years and optimism is written all over the face of the United Reds boss.

Add to this that the team wasn’t yet even in top form against Lille, and Ferguson knows all to well that with a fit team, they can make it all the way to the final. Thriving on their defensive solidarity, United can actually achieve the feat against other teams such as AC Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia and Roma.

The team has the talent to pull it off as can be seen and emphasized by most quarters. Focus and getting to top form will be the key towards attaining the goal and with Sir Alex, such a possibility can become reality.

[tags]united, reds, champions league, ferguson, alex ferguson[/tags]

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Despite the talks that were held between Henrik Larsson and Sir Alex Fergusson regarding his continued tenure with the team, Larsson has made up his mind to go back home to Sweden and honor his signed contract with his hometown last year. Despite his large contribution in helping the United Manchester club, the decision has been set and accepted by Sir Fergusson.

Larsson has made a valuable contribution and headway for the team. The timing couldn’t have been worse since the team is still saddled with injuries to its chief star players such as Ole Gunnar and Louis Saha. There were speculations that he would be convinced to stay longer, at least for the meantime that most of the key players are recuperating from injuries, but the decision needs to be done on Larsson’s part.

Despite his departure, Larsson is convinced that the team can still make it through the quarterfinals where he was a key figure in reaching this stage. With the experience that United has, it will not be surprising if they actually achieve the goal.

[tags]larsson, manchester, football, sweden, united manchester[/tags]

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Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been ruled out for a month after undergoing knee surgery.

The 34-year-old Norwegian star had an operation after scoring in United’s 3-2 FA Cup fifth round win at Reading.

Solskjaer has already spent two years on the sidelines with knee trouble.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It was good timing with the international break coming up. It gave us the opportunity to get the thing done.”

He added: “We could get the knee sorted out and get it cleaned out. It’s nothing serious.”

Solskjaer, who has scored 10 goals this season, will miss United’s Champions League second leg against Lille, the FA Cup quarter-final with Middlesbrough and a league fixture against Bolton Wanderers.

He should be available for the visit of Blackburn Rovers on 31 March.

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Louis Saha is set to be sidelined for two weeks with a groin injury.

The Manchester United striker, 28, lasted just 30 minutes of the 2-2 draw at Newcastle before being forced off.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed:

“It’s a groin injury, so it could be a couple of weeks. But who knows? We will assess it properly on Tuesday.”

The Frenchman’s injury heightens the chances of new loan signing Henrik Larsson making his debut in the FA Cup third round match against Aston Villa.

The Swede, who joined from Helsingborg on a three-month deal, could come up against his former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill.

If the 35-year-old fails to get a game against his old Bhoys boss in the cup, he will get a second bite of the cherry when the teams meet in the league the following weekend.

Ferguson can also call on the services of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 33, who is back to full fitness and scored two goals in the festive programme.

If Saha’s initial prognosis of a fortnight on the sidelines proves correct he will be back in contention for United’s Premiership match against Arsenal on 21 January.

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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes he is not getting enough protection from referees.

The 21-year-old says he is targeted by opposing players and does not get as many free-kicks as he should.

“For some reason refs think I should be able to protect myself without their help,” said the England international.

“I’ve had some bad tackles on me but I’ll get up where other players will roll around. So the refs think there’s nothing wrong with me.”

Rooney has also developed a reputation for having a fiery temper on the pitch but he claims he is trying to combat that.

“I just want to play football and sometimes I get angry and sometimes I don’t,” he added.

“I just try to hold myself back and think for a minute, then react after that. I think I’m getting better and I’m learning how to take a deep breath. I try not to get involved because I know if I do get frustrated it can affect my performance.”

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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed his relief that Park Ji-Sung is ready to return after recovering from ankle surgery.

“Park is a great player to get back,” said Ferguson. “His versatility and movement off the ball is something we shall use over the Christmas period.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and fellow striker Alan Smith are also close to full match fitness, easing the pressure on Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha.

“For six weeks or so, we have operated with my heart in my mouth, hoping nothing serious would befall Louis or Wayne. It was a situation that worried me – as I know it did our supporters.”

Ferguson’s attacking options will also be boosted by the availability of loan signing from Helsingborg, Henrik Larsson, from 1 January, while Guiseppe Rossi’s loan spell at Newcastle is drawing to a close.

Smith rejected a loan move in November, opting to work on regaining his sharpness at Old Trafford after recovering from a double leg fracture.

The 26-year-old appeared alongside Park in the reserves on Thursday, scoring for the first time since suffering the injury in February.

“There has been a slight improvement in Alan each week over the last three,” said Ferguson.
“He is still a bit short, so we will keep him on the work he is doing. He is now using his left foot much more than he did three weeks ago, which is good news.”

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