Sir Alex Ferguson faces a major
defensive headache heading
into Saturday's derby.
Rio Ferdinand will be given every
chance to return to the heart of
United 's rearguard after
missing last week's shock
defeat to Wolves with a calf
injury.
But Ferguson also has concerns
over back-up centre backs Jonny
Evans and Chris Smalling who
both had to withdraw from
international duty in midweek.
It is Ferdinand who presents the
United manager with his biggest
concern.
The England captain has
undergone intensive treatment
this week in a bid to get him
back for the lunchtime clash with
City – and looking at United's
statistics without him, it is clear
to see why.
The Premier League leaders have
kept just one clean sheet in the
last six games that Ferdinand has
missed – including the 2-1
defeat at Wolves.
The only shut-out they've
managed without him since
November was the 5-0 win
against Birmingham last month.
That is how pivotal Ferdinand's
partnership with Nemanja Vidic is
to United – and why Ferguson is
desperate to have him in his
starting XI against Roberto
Mancini 's £80m strike force of
Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and
David Silva.
The 32-year-old was part of the
rearguard that kept City at bay
when the sides last met in
November – one of 10 clean
sheets he's helped United keep
in 20 appearances this season.
United have conceded just 13
goals with Ferdinand in the side,
compared to 21 in 16
games without their inspirational
centre back.
What's more, Ferguson's men
have yet to concede in five
games against City, Arsenal,
Tottenham and Liverpool with
Ferdinand at the back.
The United manager initially said
his £30m defender would be out
for two weeks with the calf
problem, but privately he
remained hopeful he could get
him back in time for the derby.
The shaky performances against
Blackpool, Southampton and
Wolves have only emphasised
Ferdinand 's importance to
United's hopes of clinching a
record 19 th title.
And Ferguson's eagerness to
get him back in his side has only
been compounded by doubts over
Evans and Smalling.
Evans was understudy at
Molineux last Saturday, but has
struggled to reproduce his
impressive form of the past two
seasons so far this campaign.
Dip
He has looked a shadow of the
player whose form convinced
Ferguson to allow Gerard Pique
to move to Barcelona in 2008.
His alarming dip in performances
has seen Smalling move neck and
neck with him for the role of first
choice cover for Ferdinand and
Vidic.
Still, Evans' greater experience
would probably see him get the
nod if Ferdinand is ruled out, but
the Northern Ireland international
has his own fitness concerns
after being forced to pull out of
his country 's clash with
Scotland on Wednesday because
of an ankle problem.
Smalling was also supposed to be
in action for England 's Under
21s against Italy on Tuesday, but
also had to withdraw because of
a knock.
Both withdrawals were made as
precautions – but with Darren
Fletcher also missing Scotland's
midweek clash because of a knee
injury, it is hardly ideal
preparation for tomorrow 's
title showdown.
Ferguson also has a dilemma in
attack – choosing whether to
deploy Wayne Rooney as a lone
front man, as is his preference in
the biggest games, or play with a
two-pronged strike force with
leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov
alongside the England striker.
For all Berbatov's brilliance this
season, with 20 goals already,
and Rooney 's record-breaking
count of 34 last term, Ferdinand
insists that neither can match
Robbie Fowler 's       finishing
prowess.
"Robbie Fowler, Ole (Gunnar
Solskjaer), Ruud (van Nistelrooy)
and Ian Wright are the best, "
he said. "I'd say Robbie was
definitely the most natural, he
could do it from anywhere, inside
the box, long range, headers.
"It's a huge shame that he
had so many injuries because he
was a great striker and a great
lad. He came to Leeds and settled
straight away, and was good fun
to be around when we went
away with England. He 's not
known as God for nothing."
Ferdinand ranks Roy Keane,
Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as
the most inspirational players
he 's lined up with – adding
that United's former
Portuguese winger is still the
best in the world.
"Keane could do it by playing
and talking, Wayne's
combination of skill and passion is
inspirational and Ronaldo does it
through his deeds on the pitch, "
he said. "Ronaldo is my favourite
player of the current era by a
mile."
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