Man United "down to bare bones"
Ferdinand was forced back into the team early because of the Old Trafford injury crisis
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Monday, 23, Apr 2007 10:00
Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester United are "down to the bare bones" of their squad ahead of the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against AC Milan tomorrow.
According to reports from the club's Carrington training complex, only ten United first-team players were able to take a full part in training today in what Ferguson has described as an "injury crisis of major proportions".
The Old Trafford supremo will certainly be without several first-choice defenders, including long-term injury victims Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre and Nemanja Vidic.
They will be joined on the sidelines by Rio Ferdinand, who aggravated a groin injury in the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Wes Brown and Gabriel Heinze are the only fully-fit specialist defenders in the whole squad although Patrice Evra could be forced into action despite being short of match fitness.
Heinze is likely to join Brown in a makeshift centre-back pairing, with John O'Shea filling in for the Argentinean on the left, while Darren Fletcher may reprise his recent covering role at right full-back if Evra cannot play.
Midfielders Kieran Richardson and Park Ji-sung will miss the game, as will striker Louis Saha and while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was unable to train today, he may take part in tomorrow's match out of necessity, although he is likely to sit among the substitutes.
The upshot of the injury crisis is that several United youngsters will get the chance to join the first-team for one of the club's biggest games of the season at Old Trafford tomorrow.
Chris Eagles and Dong Fangzhuo, neither of whom were expected to play much of a part in the club's season, are both in line to sit among the substitutes and Ferguson may also have to dip into the reserves or even the youth team to make up the numbers.
"We're down to the bare bones. We are only playing with 12 players now," Ferguson said after the Middlesbrough match.
"We have to restore the players' energies for Tuesday because it is a massive game for them and it's a game they should enjoy."
Milan's only real injury worry is over first-choice goalkeeper Dida, who suffered a shoulder injury last week and missed their Serie A fixture at the weekend. He will travel to Manchester with the rest of the squad however.