O’Shea: No Rio miracles
Alex Ferguson is expected to waste little time in restoring his record £29m defender to the Red Devils starting line-up following the end of his eight-month ban.
With six points from five Premiership games and a 10-point gap to close on champions Arsenal, the long-serving United boss knows victory is essential in tonight’s Old Trafford crunch with Liverpool.
Given the only defender Ferguson included among the three men who matched his lofty expectations in Lyon on Wednesday was Gabriel Heinze, it would be a major surprise if the Scot didn’t turn to Ferdinand to bale him out of a crisis, even though the 25-year-old has not been seen since he limped out of the 1-0 defeat to Wolves last January.
O’Shea is expected to be alongside Ferdinand in the United rearguard as Rafael Benitez arrives for his first experience of the fierce north-west rivalry and while the young Irishman believes the surge of adrenalin his team-mate is bound to feel should get him through the 90 minutes, he has cautioned against expectations being raised too high.
“I am sure the adrenalin rush will get Rio through the game without a problem but we shouldn’t expect miracles from him,” he said.
“He has done a lot of fitness work but that isn’t the same as playing matches and while I don’t think it will be long before he gets his form back, it is bound to take a little bit of time.
“I think this has probably been the longest week of his life because he is so close now. He can see the games in front of us at United and the World Cup matches for England and that probably reminds him what he missed out on. Hopefully he will get rid of that frustration by playing out of his skin.”
Meanwhile, Spanish import Josemi insists he understands the history and rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United even though he has only ever seen Ryan Giggs on TV.
Ferguson earlier hailed history-maker Giggs as model professional. The 31-year-old Welshman will become only the third Manchester United player in history to reach 600 appearances - following fellow European Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes - when he lines up tonight.
The 24-year-old full back Josemi will get his first taste of one of English football’s greatest collisions at Old Trafford when new boss Rafael Benitez takes his Spanish acquisitions to face the fallen champions.
The Malaga-born defender has been the silent partner around Anfield as countrymen Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso have grabbed all the praise for their impact on their new club.
But his defensive qualities at left back have made just as big an impression on new-look Liverpool, and Josemi will soon discover all about the likes of Giggs and co.
He says: “I know I could be facing wingers like Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo and I know they are great players. But I have never seen Manchester United in the flesh or played against them. All I know is what I have seen on TV.
“But I do understand the history behind Liverpool games with Manchester United. I know it is very important for our supporters to do well against them.”
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