Sir Alex Ferguson admits he recall Fraizer
Campbell from his loan spell at Tottenham in January - but will not
let Danny Welbeck leave on loan.
The Manchester United boss reluctantly allowed Campbell to
join the White Hart Lane outfit on transfer deadline day as part of
the deal that saw Dimitar Berbatov move north for a club record
£30.75million fee.
Although Campbell struggled to impress former boss Juande Ramos,
he has been given his chance by Harry Redknapp and scored three
times in two games as Spurs' revival gathered pace.
The 21-year-old also scored for England Under-21s in their
victory over the Czech Republic at Bramall Lane on Tuesday,
confirming he is a man in form.
Redknapp has spoken of his desire to sign Campbell on a
permanent basis. However, Ferguson has revealed a clause in the
youngster's loan agreement that would allow him to go back to
United in January.
And, if Campbell keeps going at his present rate, Ferguson would
not be scared to use it.
"We could pull him back in January," said Ferguson. "We have to
the option and it is a possibility. The boy has been fantastic at
Spurs.
"He is a good player but we needed to get him first-team
experience, so we agreed to it so the deal with Berbatov went
through."
However, while Campbell's short-term future remains undecided,
Welbeck's is very much at Old Trafford.
The Longsight-born star does not celebrate his 18th birthday
until next week but he has already made a big impression on
Ferguson.
Welbeck scored on his Premier League debut against Stoke last
Saturday and, with Berbatov sidelined for at least a couple of
games after picking up a hamstring injury in Bulgaria's encounter
with Serbia on Wednesday, will retain his place in Ferguson's squad
for Saturday's visit to Aston Villa and the Champions League trip
to Villarreal.
His improvement has been so rapid, some pundits have suggested
Welbeck will be the next United player to further their education
elsewhere for a short time.
But Ferguson feels Welbeck is too young to lose day-to-day
control of his development and by mixing infrequent appearances in
the first team with events like next Thursday's Youth Cup tie with
Chelsea at Old Trafford, he can get enough football by staying
where he is.
"It would be crazy to let Danny go out on loan," said Ferguson.
"He is too young. He is still that gangly lad who has not fully
matured.
"We can work on his physique knowing we are not playing him all
the time.
"He trains with the first-team squad all the time now but he can
also go and enjoy himself playing for the youth team or the
reserves."
The attention on Welbeck has only increased because Ghana have
made a bid for his services.
Capped by England at Under-19 level, Welbeck could continue
along the Three Lions path or choose to represent the country of
his parents.
Ferguson has offered some sound advice - ignore both and play
for Scotland instead.
"His parents are from Ghana so it is not a surprise," he added.
"It is the boy's choice, although I would be surprised if he didn't
play for Scotland. That is my big challenge now."
Meanwhile at the other end of the age scale, Paul Scholes' has
been pencilled in for a December 10 comeback against Aalborg.
The former England star has been out since suffering knee
ligament damage against the Danish outfit in mid-September.
Scholes' recent recovery has been so rapid there had been
suggestions he could feature against Manchester City next
weekend.
That will not happen. But Ferguson says the 34-year-old could be
in action immediately before the visit to Tottenham on December 13,
which precedes the Club World Cup in Japan.
"Paul is coming on fine," said Ferguson. "He will be ready for
the week of the Tottenham game.
"He has started to involve himself in some of the first-team
training sessions because, as always with that type of injury, he
has made good progress.
"It will be a few weeks yet but he is not far away now."