Wayne Rooney should be available for Man United’s game with Benfica despite missing training. Neil Warnock hails the impact of Heidar Helguson, while Richard Stearman is expected to be sidelined after surgery on a broken wrist.
Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed any fears of an injury to Wayne Rooney in this afternoon’s pre-match Champions League press conference. Rooney and Jonny Evans had both missed training this morning ahead of the game against Benfica but the United boss said this afternoon:
We’ve got one or two knocks from Saturday. Jonny Evans has some tightness in his hamstring but will hopefully be okay tomorrow. Wayne’s got a few knocks and missed training today but should be okay. Chris Smalling trained this morning but won’t be available for tomorrow – he should be okay for Saturday [against Newcastle] and Anderson is out injured.
Richard Stearman is set to face a spell on the sidelines after Wolves confirmed he will undergo surgery on his broken wrist. The right-back has featured in every league game for his club this season but his absence could perhaps open the way for Roland Zubar to stake a first-team claim, having recently recovered from a groin problem. Alternatively, Stephen Ward moved to right-back at Goodison when Stearman was forced off, with Mick McCarthy sending on George Elokobi at left-back. Kevin Foley is still a couple of weeks away from a return.
Owen Coyle has revealed his disappointment following another lacklustre display saw his Bolton side beaten once again. The Trotters boss is far from happy with the lack of fighting spirit amongst his charges and judging by his scathing assessment, it would be no surprise if Bolton are set for a couple of changes this weekend.
The testament to anyone’s character is when you go out there on that pitch and you’re under the cosh, you need your big leaders to organise and be resilient. If you are compact and focused, the minimum you leave with is a draw – but we didn’t have enough of them to do that. They need to sit and analyse that and see if they feel they did their best in the second half. I’m not so sure that we all did.
Steve Harper has returned to Newcastle following a one-month loan deal at Brighton. Going the opposite direction is Kazenga Lua Lua, who has signed for the Seagulls on a permanent basis. He joins Gus Poyet’s side on a three-year deal, having been on loan there since the start of the season.
Kenwyne Jones has pleaded with Tony Pulis for a first-team start as Stoke’s poor league form continues. The August signing of Peter Crouch has seen Jones drift out of the picture, with the role of a second-half impact sub as good as it gets recently. Jones has failed to start a league match since gameweek three for the Potters but with five defeats in the last six, Pulis’ side are misfiring badly. Jonathan Walters has netted 4 time but Crouch has scored just twice so far- with a home clash against Blackburn up next, the Stoke boss may well be tempted to shake things up.
Reports suggest Adel Taarabt was unavailable for QPR last week after losing his passport while on international duty with Morocco. Taarabt has been a peripheral figure since gameweek seven, storming out of Craven Cottage after Neil Warnock subbed him off at half-time. He’s expected to return to the UK today, though with no goals or assists this season, his absence has hardly affected QPR of late.
Warnock hailed the impact of Heidar Helguson, after 5 goals in as many games disproved the doubters. Given a start in gameweek eight, Helguson has proved integral to his side’s goal threat and, with a double downing Stoke at the Britannia last weekend, his manager comparing his influence on the team to that of Bolton’s Kevin Davies:
I couldn’t buy anybody that’d have played as well as Heidar did. Impossible. He’s like a young pup at the minute, he’s really enjoying himself. Yeah, he’ll get injured, no doubt, but at the moment he’s on top of his game and the first name on the teamsheet. We don’t play three games a week in the Premier League and he gets proper rest.
