Ferguson blasts friendlies after Fletcher
injury
MANCHESTER, England March 28 (Reuters) - Manchester
United manager Alex Ferguson branded international friendlies at
this stage of the season futile on Friday after losing midfielder
Darren Fletcher to an injury sustained on Scotland
duty.
Fletcher damaged knee ligaments towards the end of Scotland's
1-1 draw against Croatia on Wednesday and will be out of action for
six weeks, which could end his involvement in United's Premier
League title bid. "It was a bad blow with Darren Fletcher, which to
me just emphasises the futility of playing these friendly games.
It's crazy. We have lost him for six weeks now," Ferguson told
reporters.
A long-standing opponent of international friendly fixtures,
Ferguson added: "He went up there recovering from a bad chest cold
and missed our game last Sunday because of that. "He turns out and
plays for his country and should have only played for 45-60 minutes
at the most but played the full game and got injured in the last
minute.
"It's crazy and supporters will stop going to these kind of
games anyway, paying all that money and travelling. I think every
manger knows, deep down, that they are a waste of time."
FIVE-POINT LEAD
The rest of United's international contingent reported back fit
and Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to be available to play
against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday after missing
Portugal's midweek friendly. United hold a five-point lead over
second-placed Chelsea and Ferguson wants his team to maintain the
standards they showed in beating Liverpool 3-0 last weekend,
pointing to the return to form of Paul Scholes as potentially key
to their title hopes.
"We have to use that as a barometer for the rest of the season.
Last Sunday was a great sign for me in terms of the confidence of
the team and the composure they showed in their game, which I
thought was top class," said Ferguson. "Most rewarding for me was
the form of Paul Scholes. After three-and-a-half months out he was
taking his time to get back to the real Paul Scholes' form but last
Sunday he was head and shoulders above every player on the pitch
and absolutely magnificent. That gives us great confidence."
He added that there were some big games coming up but that he
had confidence in the players. "They are proven in the big ones
time and again now. There is a great enthusiasm about the team so
hopefully we can keep the momentum going and enjoy the challenge,"
he said. Striker Louis Saha is again absent for United with a
hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to three weeks.
