Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced that he has built a squad strong
enough to withstand the rigours of challenging on all fronts in the
second half of the season.
Although United regained the Premier League title last term, the
Reds' lengthy injury list saw them narrowly miss out on further
silverware in the Champions League and FA Cup.
"We felt the draft a bit towards the end of last season," said Sir
Alex. "What we tried to do in the summer was make sure we had a
squad that was capable of withstanding everything. I think our
squad's strong, I like it.
"You could say we don't have a natural left-back, but John O'Shea
proved again (against Sunderland) that he's a fantastic stand-in if
we have to play him there. He's got the experience of playing there
before, he's got the composure and balance that it's not a problem
to play him at left-back."
Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Nani and Carlos Tevez were all recruited
over a busy summer, and Sir Alex has been delighted with the way
they have adapted to life at Old Trafford.
"They've settled in quicker than we thought, especially with four
coming in - with one you're worried enough anyway," he said. "It's
much easier for them nowadays, especially at our club because of
the level of success we've had.
"Going back 15 years before we'd won the league it was always
difficult for players coming here because they were always looked
on as the final piece of the jigsaw. That doesn't apply itself now,
so they don't need to worry about that."