Ferguson admits mistaken diagnosis over Dimitar Berbatov

zocoss SG

• Manchester United striker may need exploratory operation
• Ferguson criticises Clattenburg for Fletcher red card

Dimitar Berbatov may need exploratory knee surgery.

The Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov may need exploratory knee surgery.

The Bulgarian was unable to play in United's 1-1 draw with Birmingham City at St Andrew's yesterday, a result which meant that they failed to move above Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. In Berbatov's absence, Sir Alex Ferguson gave a debut to a summer signing, Mame Biram Diouf.

"Dimitar wanted to play with it but we felt we should try to get it [the knee] sorted and get him fit again," said the United manager. "He may have to have an exploratory operation."

Ferguson reiterated his anger over Darren Fletcher's red card from the referee Mark Clattenburg. Fletcher was shown a second yellow card for an innocuous trip on Cameron Jerome.

"You won't see a softer sending off. For a start, Darren's not that kind of player," Ferguson said. "It's a simple clip on the boy who actually stumbled. I think it was a terrible decision and it gave Birmingham some momentum. But I think we've got to be satisfied with a point particularly as we've ended the game with 10 men. Birmingham is a difficult place to go and they are playing very well. It is not a bad point."

Birmingham have gone a club-record 12 league matches without defeat. United needed an own goal from Scott Dann after Jerome had given the home side a half-time lead.

"We were down to 10 men for the last part of the game but in the first half we played absolutely brilliantly and dominated the match," said Ferguson. "It was a travesty to go in at half-time 1-0 down after they scored with their first attack. It was a sickener but it's important not to let your head go down. We kept battling away and deserved a point. We spoke about remaining patient at half-time because 45 minutes is a long time.

"We've won so many games late on so we shouldn't worry about being 1-0 down. We've faced that situation many times."

Rooney9 SG

time to partner owen with rooney and bring the kid diouf as sub? I am wondering why fergie didnt give macheda chance on the bench this season?

grandmaster89 SG

We now have lost Berbatov (our few class players with any vision to unlock defences) for a long period. I shudder to think what will happen if we lose Rooney. We no longer have anymore strikers left besides has-been Owen, inexperienced Macheda, Diouf and Welbeck.

We are now playing 4-5-1 because Ferguson knows that we no longer have the strength to repel or launch attacks.

CKeer SG

We are now playing 4-5-1 because Ferguson knows that we no longer have the strength to repel or launch attacks.

I agree with your point, United look so lost against Birmingham. There's no key to unlock the defence. Valencia ran the whole match but couldn't produce the desired outcome.

We need creative players that can unlock defence. Someone in the form of Ben Arfa or Robben.

Franceso Totti SG

ya united needed a central creative player, but which player can fit the bill? Sneider, but he joined Inter and Robben just joined Bayern only. the only player I can think of is Ribery, but looks like he is joining RM. with united in so much debt, even if ribery wants to join united, dunno where to obtain so much cash to pay bayern also.

CKeer SG

There's still Van der Vaart.

Rooney9 SG

Sir Alex Ferguson is crossing his fingers record signing Dimitar Berbatov can make it to the end of the season without needing knee surgery.

Berbatov has been struggling with the injury since November and Ferguson revealed last week the advice has been for the £30.75million forward to have an exploratory operation so medical staff can work out the extent of the problem.

That is not a route the 28-year-old is keen to go down, especially as he did not feel any reaction this week during United's warm-weather training camp in Qatar.

Ferguson admitted there may come a point when United have to "make a decision" about whether to put Berbatov under the knife should the symptoms persist.

However, as it has previously been suggested that option could rule him out for three months during a period when United are hardly over-burdened with in-form forwards, Ferguson is desperately hoping to avoid that scenario.

"If we could see it through until the end of the season it would be better," said the Red Devils chief.

"The advice was to have an exploratory operation but Dimitar wants to play through it.

"Sometimes he feels it and sometimes he doesn't. Maybe the climate helped but he didn't feel it when we went away, so he trained every day.

"It is a difficult one and if he is feeling OK it is not a problem.

"But if he keeps continually coming up against a problem we would have to make a decision on it."

United could certainly do with Berbatov performing consistently at the level Ferguson felt he was capable of when he lured him north from Tottenham 18 months ago.

Although the Scot was prevented from entering into any discussion about the Old Trafford outfit's debt mountain and their plans to tackle it, due to "regulatory compliance", United could certainly do with some of the heat being taken off the club by the team putting a consistent run of results together.

On the face of it, an FA Cup home defeat by League One Leeds, followed by a draw at Birmingham does not achieve that objective.

Yet Ferguson was actually quite pleased with the manner of his side's performance at St Andrews, and their tenacity at fighting back once Cameron Jerome had put the hosts in front.

"It was not an easy game and I wasn't upset about the performance in any way," he said.

"You are looking for consistency but you can't think you are going to steamroller a team like Birmingham, who have got themselves to eighth in the league, when you are 1-0 down at half-time."

Nevertheless, this was supposed to be a spell in which United exerted themselves in their usual manner prior to the encounter with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on January 31.

The likely return of Edwin van der Sar, who has missed 12 successive matches, initially due to a knee injury suffered against Everton on November 21, then because his wife Annemarie suffered a stroke back home in Holland, should help bring some stability to United's defence, which Ferguson believes is crucial to any change in fortune.

Yet United must also take a far greater percentage of their chances, starting against a Burnley side whose depressing run of away results - just one point so far this season - is being balanced out by impressive home form that began with that shock defeat of Saturday's opponents at Turf Moor in August.

"It was a great emotional night for them and everyone was caught up in it," said Ferguson.

"We created a lot of chances but when you miss as many as that you can't say you deserve to win."

The added dimension this time around is Owen Coyle's exit for Bolton and the installation of Brian Laws as his replacement.

Managing in the top flight is new territory for Laws, whose CV includes spells at Scunthorpe and Grimsby before he moved on to Sheffield Wednesday.

Yet Ferguson is not surprised at the appointment.

"They had to make a quick decision because of the position they are in," reflected Ferguson.

"When you are in that bottom half of the league it is never easy. All the teams down there will be battling to avoid relegation.

"Brian Laws has got experience and that is probably what they need at the moment."

iceFatboy SG

do we really need a creative player or someone in the Keano Mould?

for me, I always feel that now when MU plays, other than Rooney, U can hardly detect the "heart". Like when MU is down, U start to see the team bickering, and seemingly, there is no "lion-hearted" player to pull the team..

In the back of mind, I still rem, how Keano galvantised the team in the UCL semis vs Juventus by scoring that header, even when he knows he is out of the finals.

How I miss that type of player, the type that saids "don't mess with us, we are in your face."..

Sadly, we are down to Scholes with his mis-timed tackles to savage some "face", while rooney is still with his 'anger-management" behavior in prepartion for the world cup.. sigh..

no offense.

Rooney9 SG

Sir Alex Ferguson has once again raised the spectre of Dimitar Berbatov heading for a knee operation.

Manchester United's record signing opened the scoring in Saturday's 3-0 win over Burnley at Old Trafford but left the action early.

And Ferguson confirmed the Bulgarian had reported more pain from a knee injury which the United boss revealed only on Friday that his £30.75million striker had vowed to battle through.

"Dimitar was feeling his knee again," confirmed Ferguson.

"He played through it today but he could have come off at half-time.

"We will have to look at it again on Monday and see what the situation is."

If Berbatov is forced to go for surgery it will either mean another venture into the transfer market or even more responsibility being placed on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney.

It would be a shame too for Ferguson, given how impressed he was with the Bulgarian's efforts.

"He was the player who looked most like scoring today," he said.

"A couple of shots went just by the post, he also had a couple of headers over the bar. He had so many attempts he was probably relieved to get one in the end."

Rooney doubled United's lead with his 16th goal of the season before new-boy Mame Biram Diouf marked his home debut by finding the net late on when he headed Antonio Valencia's cross past Brian Jensen.

Yet Ferguson was honest enough to accept Burnley had spurned two decent chances when Steven Fletcher and David Nugent failed to find the target after finding themselves clean through when the game was still deadlocked.

"We could have been embarrassed," he admitted.

"We had a number of opportunities to punish them in the final third but there was a bit of nervousness and anxiety about our game.

"You need a goal to open teams up in matches like that, although while they will probably feel 3-0 was unfair, I didn't believe it was too unjust."

Ferguson must now turn his attention to Tuesday's Carling Cup semi-final first-leg trip to Manchester City.

Darren Fletcher, who was suspended this afternoon, seems certain to start along with Ryan Giggs.

But Ferguson confirmed Darron Gibson and the Da Silva brothers, Fabio and Rafael, will also be in contention.

New Burnley manager Brian Laws also felt Nugent's miss was the crucial point of the game, although that will not stop him trying to secure the services of the Portsmouth striker, who is currently on loan at Turf Moor.

"Hopefully something will happen in the next 48 hours," said Laws.

"The club have been trying to keep David for some time and I know enough about him to want him to stay.

"It is a simple equation really. He either stays with us or Portsmouth sell him. He cannot go on loan anywhere else."

Laws also revealed Fletcher had gone for an X-ray after being forced off with an ankle injury suffered during a first-half challenge with Antonio Valencia.

"It was a blow to lose Steven because he was really causing them a problem," he said.

"But he got a real kick on the ankle, so he has gone for an X-ray.

"It is just a precaution though and we will assess it again over the next couple of days."

sand king SG

I found a pic for Berba that makes him look like Harry Potter...

Am I right? He looks like the actor.

Rock^Star SG

sometimes i think i have wronged berbatov. I thought he's lazy but it's the languid style of play which makes him tick. And he played through all that pain and even scored a goal. A pity he doesnt score in big games..but it is situations like this against the lower clubs when man u struggle and they need someone to break the deadlock.

zocoss SG

I found a pic for Berba that makes him look like Harry Potter...

Am I right? He looks like the actor.

Yup you are right...

Rock^Star SG

LOL!

sand king SG

Yup you are right...

Nice photo manipulation there! Cheers! Beba Potter...

Rooney9 SG

Dimitar Berbatov celebrates scoring Manchester United's first goal against Burnley before limping off with a dead leg. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he got it wrong in expressing his fears that Dimitar Berbatov was struggling with his knee injury again.

Berbatov scored the first goal in Manchester United's 3-0 win over Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday but was substituted before the end and headed straight down the tunnel for treatment.

Immediately after the game Ferguson said his £30.75m record signing had suffered a recurrence of a knee injury and had been advised to undergo exploratory surgery to discover the extent of the problem.

In fact, the former Tottenham star had only suffered a dead leg and while he is a doubt for tomorrow's Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Manchester City, he has not completely been ruled out.

"I thought Dimitar had got a knock on the knee. It turned out it was a dead leg and we are having a look at that. I am hoping he will be all right but he is a doubt and we will see what he is like in the morning."

Ferguson also confirmed Ryan Giggs would not be considered, and neither will Rio Ferdinand, even though the England centre-back is continuing to move closer to a comeback after three months out with a back injury.

"Rio is training quite well now," he said. "He is a lot closer now but he is not in contention for tomorrow."

However, the United manager is considering whether to add a bit of youth to his team in the form of Darron Gibson and the Da Silva twins, Rafael and Fabio.

Having already absolved the younger members of his side from blame for the shock home FA Cup defeat by Leeds, Ferguson said he would have no qualms about putting them into such a high-pressure match.

But it does seem the Scot intends to select a far stronger team than the one he originally intended when the draw was made last month.

"I have got to think about getting a mix in terms of the programme we have got and also the fact I have given young players a game in the past," he said.

"I will have a strongish team but there will be some young players as well."