Another game, another appearance in the centre of midfield for Wayne Rooney. Roberto Mancini is confident on David Silva’s fitness ahead of the game at QPR, while Steven Gerrard is making steady progress from an infected ankle problem:
Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for Wayne Rooney after another game in central midfield for the United forward in last night’s Champions League win over Otelul Galati. Fergie admitted injuries to others played a part in his thinking, though went on to say Rooney is more than capable of excelling in the role:
I think he was our best player. He showed great awareness of that role. His selection of passes at times was very good and showed great energy and determination – we got a really good performance out of him tonight. We had injuries and that is one of the reasons we played him there. Cleverley is injured, Carrick is injured, Darren Fletcher played on Saturday but it was better he played next Saturday. It was an option for us and a good option because he has all the qualities you need to be a central midfield player.
Rooney had no qualms about playing in a deeper role, revealing after the game:
I played a lot there when I was younger. You get a lot of the ball but we had to defend at times. If the manager asks me to do it, I will do it. It’s up to him.
United’s options up front were diminished last night after Michael Owen limped off after just eleven minutes. Fergie revealed post-match that Owen suffered a thigh injury but reckons it’s too early to put a timescale on any length of absence.
The sight of David Silva limping out of Man City’s Champions League tie at Villarreal would have worried his Fantasy owners no end last night. While City have yet to comment on the issue today, Roberto Mancini was a little reassuring after the game:
I don’t think this is serious. He took a knock on his back. Also we play again in 60 hours against QPR. I think he can recover well.
Kenny Dalglish has today revealed Steven Gerrard is responding well to treatment on his infected ankle. The Reds skipper missed last weekend’s win at West Brom and is also out of this weekend’s home clash with Swansea, while Jamie Carragher faces a late fitness test ahead of the game with Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Since they found the infection, Steven has really been progressing extremely well. Everything is positive for him. They found the infection and I suppose it’s a wee bit like flu – you know you’ve got it, but you don’t know where it came from. But they are treating and it is responding really well, so it’s positive for him. It is nothing more sinister.
Gabriel Obertan faces a spell on the sidelines after picking up a toe infection. The Newcastle winger has been an almost ever-present in his side’s unbeaten start to the season but reports suggest he could be out for up to a month with the problem. Sylvain Marveaux seems the favourite to replace him- at 4.7 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) he offers good value at a cut-price rate but has tough run of fixtures on the horizon.
Chelsea received a boost today ahead of their weekend trip to Blackburn. Rovers centre-half Scott Dann has been ruled out of the Ewood Park clash, having failed to recover from a calf problem, though is expected to return after the international break. Michel Salgado, Ryan Nelsen and Vince Grella are also unavailable.
Momo Diame may be in line for a surprise return to the Wigan fold for the trip to Wolves. The midfielder was taken off early in last weekend’s home loss to Fulham after a couple of hefty challenges and Roberto Martinez had feared the worst but he’s responded to treatment and could play a part at Molineux, according to reports.
Alex McLeish admitted that Barry Bannan is feeling the pressure after off-field issues forced the club to suspend the young Scot a fortnight ago. Bannan is now available for selection ahead of this week’s clash with Norwich but Big Eck conceded :
He’s back in the fold but you can’t expect somebody to come in singing and dancing and laughing as if nothing’s happened. He’s feeling it a bit and he wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t. But he’s back in and the lads I’m sure will be as friendly and hospitable to Barry as they normally are.
Andrei Arshavin was refreshingly frank with the admission that his performances since joining Arsenal have been less than impressive. The Russian’s frustrating displays have made him a bit-part player at the Emirates, with the likes of Gervinho establishing himself ahead of Arshavin in the pecking order:
Speaking honestly, I think my performances for Arsenal have been average. I’ve done some good things, but I don’t assess my game on goals or assists. I look at the whole picture. Normally when I’m on the pitch I take control of the game but I haven’t really done that here. I’m an extra tool in the team rather than the main one, so it’s been difficult.
Reports suggest both David Vaughan and Seb Larsson have suffered groin problems ahead of the trip to Man United, though both are expected to be fit for the Old Trafford clash. Steve Bruce confirmed Simon Mignolet is expected to be out for a couple of months, while John O’Shea is out for two to three weeks.
