Opportunity: Oliver Gill
Manchester
United's injury crisis has become so
desperate that the son of chief executive David Gill has been
called up for tomorrow's clash with Wolfsburg.
United are without eight senior defenders - Rio Ferdinand,
Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Gary Neville, Rafael, Fabio, John O’Shea
and Jonny Evans - and have been forced to turn to youth for the
Champions League match in Germany.
Included in the squad is OIiver Gill, son of David Gill. The
defender, described as 'no-nonsense' by the club, has been
registered as a last-minute squad member.
UEFA regulations allow additional players who have been at the
club for two years or more. Gill has been with United's academy
since the age of 12 and counts Rio Ferdinand as his footballing
hero.
'He's the best player in his position in the world and on the
few occasions I have been lucky enough to get to talk to him he's
been very positive and supportive,' he once said before adding that
his relationship with his father will have no bearing on his future
in the game.
'Nobody takes any notice of my relationship to my Dad. I've been
in the academy for six years and I think most people have simply
forgotten. It's just not the way Manchester United do
things.'
Young midfielders Cameron Stewart, Matty James, Magnus Eikrem
and Oliver Norwood were also on the flight out of Manchester on
Monday morning.
Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov and Federico Macheda
were all also left behind with one eye on this weekend’s Premier
League clash with Aston Villa.
Problems: Sir Alex Ferguson with chief executive David
Gill
Ready: Gill at Manchester airport
Manchester United squad:
Tomasz Kuszczak, Ben Foster, Patrice Evra, Oliver Gill, Gabriel
Obertan, Magnus Eikrem, Paul Scholes, Darron Gibson, Antonio
Valencia, Michael Carrick, Matty James, Darren Fletcher, Ji-sung
Park, Anderson, Cameron Stewart, Nani, Oliver Norwood, Michael
Owen, Danny Welbeck