Fergie's pruning job

omgukilledkenny SG

UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be a busy man before the Premiership champions leave for their Far East tour next month.

And one of his major tasks will be pruning a top heavy first team squad.

While there is still room for a proven scorer, Sir Alex finds he has a surplus of requirements in other areas.

Alan Smith, Guiseppe Rossi, Gabriel Heinze and Keiran Richardson have all been linked with moves away from Old Trafford.

Richardson loves being a United player but his performances at the UEFA Under-21 Championship didn't improve his case for the season ahead.

United supporters would be sad to see Smith, Rossi and Heinze leave but they're unlikely to be guaranteed places in the starting line-up.

A switch to Spain or Italy looks likely for Heinze while Smith must decide whether he's content to resume his shadow role at Old Trafford or accept first team football elsewhere in the Premiership.

And since clinching their ninth Premiership title, United have welcomed back a handful of players, including Rossi, from loan spells in England and Europe.

Phil Bardsley, Gerard Pique, Jonny Evans, Chris Eagles, Dong Fangzhou and Ben Foster are all available to Sir Alex again, albeit Foster is sidelined until next year with knee ligament problems.

And despite Rio Ferdinand's insistence that United are chasing a quadruple next term, five of them will remain fringe players.

Salford-born Bardsley has been interesting Everton after Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill opted not to pursue any interest while ex-Barcelona prospect Pique could return to La Liga with Real Zaragoza.The signings of Nani and Anderson suggest Eagles will struggle to even make the substitutes bench and he could be heading for another loan spell.

United's third close season capture, Owen Hargreaves, could make his debut in the club's opening Asian friendly against Urawa Red Diamonds in Toyko on July 17.

Anderson, likely to be involved in Brazil's Copa American defence until July 15, and Nani may not feature at all until the home season curtain raiser against Inter Milan on August 1.