United Are Running Out Of Players

With the addition of Fabio da Silva and Danny Welbeck United currently have 13 unfit first team players. Is that a record? I do not know.

The two youngsters picked up injuries during the 2-1 win over Spurs tonight and neither will make Tuesday's game at West Bromwich Albion, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

'Danny Welbeck got kicked on the ankle. It`s nothing serious but I don`t think he`ll make Tuesday,' he told MUTV.

'Young Fabio has a calf strain and it`s disappointing because he`s only just come back from a long injury. He did very well too.

'You could do without these things but I`ve got Fletcher, Giggs, Gibson and Possebon who are all fresh. I`m okay with midfield players and the front players. It`s just the full-back positions that cause us a bit of concern.'

That's an understatement, in all honesty. Right now we have 13 players who are out of Tuesday's game or at least doubtful. All goalkeepers are fit, otherwise we could make up a very strong team:

Brown, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra - Park, Hargreaves, Anderson, Nani - Rooney, Welbeck.

afael and Fabio have to be content with the substitutes' bench in our special team of invalids.

Park and Nani might recover in time to face West Bromwich, the others are almost certainly out. Which means that Fergie either has to play Richard Eckersley or James Chester in defence, or vote for experience and deploy Darren Fletcher at right-back. That would probably mean a midfield of Giggs, Scholes, Carrick and Ronaldo. Gibson could get in ahead of the below-par Scholes but that's all.

The Ronaldo-Tevez-Berbatov trio looks fine, though, especially if Carlitos keeps up the form he showed during the last two games. He was magnificent against Tottenham and we expect more of the same against West Brom. But even if he is at his best, looking at the substitutes' bench will be a chastening experience for any United fan on Tuesday...

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