Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has declared Owen Hargreaves fit and ready to start against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The England international has been restricted to just three appearances since his £18million move from Bayern Munich after failing to shrug off a knee problem.
However, an injection to cure swelling caused by tendonitis appears to have worked and the 26-year-old is now in line to face Boro.
"Owen is fit to start tomorrow (Saturday)," said Ferguson.
"It's been frustrating for him, missing games is not what he came here for. He's come here for a big fee and he must be a bit disappointed with the way things have gone. But it is a long season and he is back now which is terrific news for us because it gives us a better chance of doing well."
26 10 2007
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is confident new recruit Anderson can plug the gap vacated by the injured Paul Scholes.
Scholes is tipped to miss Saturday's clash with Middlesbrough - and possibly next weekend's summit meeting with Arsenal - with the knee injury he picked up in training prior to Tuesday's Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev.
But 19-year-old Anderson, a £17million summer signing from FC Porto, proved more than a capable understudy in Ukraine and is expected to get the nod to continue alongside either Darren Fletcher or John O'Shea, with Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick still out injured.
Team-mate Rooney is pleased Anderson is finally settling down and is confident he can flourish in Scholes' absence.
"Anderson has come in and done really well," said Rooney.
"A lot of people don't realise how young he is. But he has great confidence and belief in his own ability and has produced some good performances recently."
25 10 2007
Sir Alex Ferguson believes his current crop of stars can go on to establish Manchester United as the world's undisputed top club.
Not content with breaking Chelsea's stranglehold on the Premier League title last season, United spent more than £50million over the summer to build on the success.
New signings Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Carlos Tevez and Anderson have already made telling contributions to the current campaign, taking the team second in the league.
Having clicked into gear in an attacking vein with 12 goals in the last three games, Ferguson now wants to see his side go on to achieve true greatness.
"The last time we had a youthful squad like this, back in 1999, we won the Treble," Ferguson told a national newspaper.
"Now it's time for a new Reds dynasty to step forward, to achieve even more. My mission, our mission, is to make United the undisputed number one club in England, Europe and the world. We want to be challenging, and winning, on all fronts. That's the United way. Never standing still, always striving for higher and higher standards."
It had looked as if The Red Devils were going to prioritise Europe this season, in this the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air disaster.
But Ferguson's latest statement of intent will now be a concern for boss Gareth Southgate, who takes his Middlesbrough side to Old Trafford in the league on Saturday.
23 10 2007
Manchester United will be able to call on the services of Nemanja Vidic for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Dynamo Kyiv after the Serbian defender was passed fit to play in Ukraine.
The 26-year-old had been suffering the after-effects of the concussion he suffered against Wigan Athletic earlier this month but United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been pleased with the defender's recovery.
"There won't be many changes from Saturday. Vidic will come in and we may make one other change, but that's all," confirmed the veteran boss.
Ferguson still has to decide whether to continue with the strike partnership of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez after the duo impressed in Saturday's 4-1 victory at Aston Villa.
He added: "In Tevez and Rooney we have too exceptionally good footballers. They are both such strong players and a real threat to defenders. It makes them a real consideration for the game against Dynamo, their form's good enough, but there's the tactical part to consider. I'd have liked to have had Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves here. They're ideal European players. We don't have either of them, but we have good options. There's Paul Scholes, Anderson, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea. We may go with three players in the middle, as we did in Lisbon (against Sporting). That's certainly a possibility. Whatever we do, the intention will be to try and win the match because the rewards are great for us. It's an important game for Kyiv. They'll be wanting to win the match and I expect them to have a go. We see it as an opportunity for us because Roma and Sporting Lisbon have a double header against each other."
16 10 2007
Former England star David Platt believes Frank Lampard should be recalled to Steve McClaren's starting line-up for Wednesday's vital clash with Russia in Moscow.
Lampard was left out against Estonia on Saturday having lost his place to Gareth Barry when injured in last months qualifiers and having won all three games without him 3-0 there have been calls for the Chelsea man to remain on the sidelines, not least from the terraces where the midfielder has been booed in recent games.
However, Platt has other ideas and believes in such a key game the best players should be playing regardless of balance.
"The onus is on McClaren to play Lampard," said Platt. "There is a lot of talk about balance, but in this situation the coach has to select his best XI. Lampard is a match winner," he added.
"We live in the kind of culture where the best players are not always backed. Lampard was criticised a good deal in last year's World Cup – people said that he couldn't work as a holding midfielder, that he didn't have a strong tournament. But who did, apart from Owen Hargreaves?"
Based on England's latest training session Lampard is set to stay out in the cold.
04 10 2007
Manchester United have suffered a major injury blow after midfielder Michael Carrick was ruled out for up to six weeks with a fractured right elbow.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the latter stages of his side's Champions League victory over Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Although he appeared fine immediately after the game, x-rays have revealed the full extent of the problem, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson facing a selection headache for Saturday's encounter with Wigan as Owen Hargreaves has also been ruled out.
03 10 2007
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves faces another month on the sidelines having suffered another set-back in his rehabilitation from a knee injury.
Hargreaves was expected to make his return for United in last night's Champions League clash with Roma, but instead he face another four weeks out.
The England star will also miss the next round of internationals later this month, however Steve McClaren appears to have ample cover.
Although the 26-year-old has had a persistent problem with tendonitis over the past month, United boss Alex Ferguson has revealed there is no need for surgery.
"Owen has had an injection in his knee and he'll be out for three to four weeks,' he revealed.
"This is an option we had from the very start, and if it resurfaced again we (decided we) would do that. So he's had an injection to try to clear the tendonitis in his knee."
It's another setback for the former Bayern Munich man, who has struggled with injuries since joining United in the summer, arriving with the tendonitis, before making a brief recovery, only to suffer a thigh strain a few weeks later, and to add to his misery, the tendonitis has reappeared.
01 10 2007
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is expecting AS Roma to come looking for revenge in their Champions League tie on Tuesday.
The last time the clubs met at Old Trafford, United recorded a remarkable 7-1 win to book their place in last season's semi-finals.
"There is big motivation for them," Ferguson told a news conference on Monday. "I know that having seen the Italian press they are saying it's all about revenge. It's a big occasion for them after the defeat they suffered last year. They will want to turn that scoreline around."
Wayne Rooney, who scored in the 7-1 victory, also said Roma had an added incentive to do well in the Group F fixture.
"If I was a Roma player I would have been delighted as soon as I saw the draw because I have an opportunity to make it right straight away," said the England striker.
"If it was me I would be sitting here rubbing my hands and I couldn't wait for the game. They will be fired up more than for any other game."
Despite a run of six successive wins, United have not been in their usual free-scoring form this season with a total of eight goals in 10 matches.
Ferguson and Rooney played down a possible repeat of their magnificent seven against a Roma side who have also only been beaten once this season.
"It was a one-off," said Ferguson. "It won't happen again. European football is just not that way these days. It was an exceptional performance. I think it will be difficult because Roma are playing well."
United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been ruled out with a toe injury and Ferguson also has doubts over defenders Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown.
John O'Shea and Gerard Pique stand by to deputise at the back while midfielder Owen Hargreaves is expected to make his European debut for United after a thigh strain.
01 10 2007
Owen Hargreaves could boost Manchester United ahead of the Champions League clash with Roma by returning from a thigh injury.
The 26-year-old former Bayern Munich midfielder has been ruled out of United's last five games because of the injury he suffered while training with England ahead of last month's Euro 2008 qualifiers.
He almost returned for the Birmingham game on Saturday, but Sir Alex Ferguson is now likely to hand him a European debut for United against the Italians on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has warned Roma that United are in the mood to hit the goals trail this season as the side look to emulate last term's emphatic 7-1 Champions League quarter-final win against them at Old Trafford in April.
He told the Manchester Evening News: "My form is coming back. I am working hard in training and the goals are coming now. I don't think too much about it but scoring goals is important for me and the team. I have worked hard for that."
