FERGUSON HAILS FIVE-STAR BERBATOV

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Sir Alex Ferguson has a "slight concern" in the centre of midfield for Blackburn Rovers’ visit to Old Trafford on Saturday but says his squad is strong enough to cope with a few injuries.

Darren Fletcher is again ruled out with an ankle injury but will hopefully return in time to face Arsenal on 13 December, while Paul Scholes is rated as doubtful due to a groin strain suffered in Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Rangers in Glasgow.

If Scholes isn’t fit for the clash with Sam Allardyce’s Rovers then United would be left somewhat light in the middle of the park. But Sir Alex is at least buoyed by the return of Anderson, who came off the bench in the second half at Ibrox, and he might be paired with in-form Michael Carrick. Ryan Giggs, who also returned from injury to play 90 minutes in Scotland, and Ji-sung Park have also operated in central areas for the Reds.

“Scholes is a doubt with a groin injury, and Darren Fletcher is still out – he’s got an ankle injury,” confirmed the boss on Friday morning. “We should have Darren available for the Arsenal and Chelsea games. We hope Paul is all right to play against Blackburn, but we’ll see. Obviously Owen Hargreaves, Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen are all still out, but the rest are fine.”

The United manager will recall skipper Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to the centre of his defence against Blackburn after giving both men a night off during the week.

“We have to give Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans games,” he said of his decision to leave his two senior centre-halves in Manchester. “They are both outstanding prospects, and the future of the club. They have played in these types of matches, and as we saw on Wednesday night , they were terrific. They will both play against West Ham [Carling Cup, Tuesday].

“Nemanja and Rio will be fit for tomorrow and they will play. Blackburn are the type of team that get the ball in the box. They’re not going to change because they are playing Manchester United. In games like this, and against sides like Stoke, your centre-backs are important. The important thing is to keep plenty of possession of the ball and avoid the ball coming into your box.”

Managing niggling injuries is nothing new at this stage in the season, but Sir Alex feels confident in the form and fitness of his squad. “You manage, and we made changes on Wednesday night, and we will do again against West Ham,” he said. “The young players will play and it is a great challenge for them. We’ve got a very strong squad, particularly in the front positions. Wayne Rooney is back, and I’ve got Berbatov, Nani, Obertan, Bebe, Kiko, Chicharito... Ryan Giggs is back again – his return is important, and for him to play the whole game was terrific on Wednesday, so I’ve got plenty of options. The only area causing a little bit of concern [is in midfield], with Fletcher out and if Scholes were to miss out. But we’ve got Anderson back, he came on against Rangers.”

Another player getting back into the groove is Rooney. “Playing is the name of the game for him now,” says the boss. “He was very rusty on Wednesday. But when he took his penalty kick, he came to life. He played really well in that last few minutes, I think he enjoyed it. He had the courage to take the penalty - I thought Ryan or Anderson should have taken it - but it was a fantastic penalty, and hopefully that is a step forward for him.”

Sir Alex was talking to Magic 1152am. Catch the Manchester radio station's match commentary on MUTV Online this Saturday, from 14:45 GMT.

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Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Dimitar Berbatov after Manchester United's record signing ended a 10-game run without a goal by becoming only the fourth player in Premier League history to score five in a game.

The record haul helped United to a 7-1 win over Blackburn, which swept them to the top of the table for the first time this season.

And for Berbatov, it provided the perfect confidence boost after he did not even make the squad for last weekend's triumph over Wigan.

"It was a fantastic achievement," said Ferguson.

"He could have scored six too because Paul Robinson made a fantastic save near the end.

"When strikers are not scoring they don't think they are doing their job right. That has always been the case. Today it came back."

Berbatov follows former United striker Andy Cole, Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe as men who have netted five in a game since the new league was formed in 1992.

Berbatov was stunned that he had earned a place in the record books.

"I can't believe it. I scored five in a game but it happened," he said.

"I have scored that many before but it was a long time ago back home in Bulgaria.

"Today I did it in the Premier League. To stand next to people like Cole and Shearer is a great honour."

It took Berbatov just 71 seconds to open his account, adding another before the break and then scoring three more times after the restart.

"The first goal was the most important," he added.

"It gives you the confidence to play.

"As a striker, people do tend only to look at the goals you score.

"I am more concerned with how I play but today was all about goals for me."

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Dimitar Berbatov will grab all the headlines after his five-goal haul on Saturday, but Sir Alex said Wayne Rooney’s role in the rout of Blackburn Rovers shouldn’t be ignored.

The pair ran riot in the 7-1 victory against Blackburn, often making the match look more like a training ground exercise than a competitive fixture.

“Both Berbatov and Wayne were fantastic today,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “They were a constant threat with their movement and passing, their one-twos. It was a top performance from both of them.”

Incredibly, Berbatov had gone 10 games without a goal before Blackburn came to Old Trafford. But the Bulgarian scored five, the first time a United player has done so since Andy Cole against Ipswich Town in 1995.

“It’s a fantastic achievement,” Sir Alex said. “And he could have had six with that header at the end. Paul Robinson made a very good save.

“[It affects you if you’re not scoring]. Strikers don’t feel as though they’re doing the right job unless they’re scoring.”

The 7-1 win took the Reds top of the Barclays Premier League table and wiped out Chelsea’s previously superior goal difference.

“We’ve been searching for that consistency of performance in terms of our rhythm and tempo we’ve always been noted for. It came together today very well. Today it was back to normal.

“It was very pleasing, particularly because we’ve scored so many goals and improved our goal difference. It was a good team performance.”